★ A rare obol from Ioulis on Keos ★

CYCLADES, Keos. Ioulis. Circa 515-490/80 BC. Obol (Silver, 9 mm, 0.88 g). Grape cluster with five grapes. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square, with two smaller and two larger compartments. Papageorgiadou-Banis Series I, XXIII. Sheedy -, cf. p. 27 and pl. 20, 1-2. SNG Copenhagen 646. Rare and nicely toned. Slightly rough and the obverse struck somewhat off center and with light deposits, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From the collection of Peter C. Mamberer, ex Nomos 24, 22 May 2022, 153 and Roma E-Auction 4, 28 December 2013, 138 and formerly from a private German collection.

Ioulis was one of three poleis on the island of Keos to strike its own coins in late Archaic time. Even compared to the very rare coinage of its neighbors Karthaia and Koressos, the output must have been very small: Sheedy knew of only six staters and one drachm, alongside a somewhat more abundant series of fractions, most notably obolai such as our coin. Perhaps Ioulis, the sole inland city of the island, was less involved in maritime trade, which would explain the conspicuous lack of larger denominations.