Mytilene (BC 477-455) EL Hekte - B-

ca 478-455 BC. EL Hekte (2.50g, 9.5mm, 11h). Head of female right, hair bound in sakkos; Λ¬E flanking neck; all on raised disk / Incuse head of cock right; small square behind neck. gVF.

The cataloguer at CNG described this coin as “Unique.” If genuine, this is a fascinating and important coin as its obverse and reverse are of an unknown type and the obverse appears to be a ‘shield-like’. The obverse has a ‘hint’ of an under-type at 5 o’clock.

The coin is an ‘enigma’: The reverse is a cock's head facing right. B3, B7 and B9 are comparable portraits but all face left. The reverse type suggests that the coin is pre-455 BC but the obverse has a portrait of a woman which is unknown for the early series. The 'shield-like' attachment on the obverse does not have a precedent in the Mytilene series.