★ The mysterious ΣAMMA ★

CIMMERIAN BOSPOROS. Nymphaion (?). Circa 400 BC. Diobol (Silver, 14 mm, 1.24 g, 3 h). Head of a nymph to right, her hair bound in a sphendone. Rev. ΣAM-MA Head of a lion to right; all within shallow incuse square. Anokhin 951. HGC 7, 15. MacDonald p. 25. Stolba, ΣAMMAΣ, 2 (V1/R2). Extremely rare and of great interest. Beautifully centered and among the finest known. Slightly rough, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

The meaning of the mysterious 'ΣAMMA' on the reverse of this coin is still unclear: Anokhin attributed the issue to Samian exiles in Nymphaion, whereas Stolba read it as the name of a local tyrant named Sammas.