Bithynia, Cius

Stater, magistrate Agasikles circa 340-330, AV 17 mm, 8.59 g. Laureate head of Apollo r. Rev. ΑΓΑΣΙΚΛΗΣ Prow of galley l., decorated with star: above, club and in l. field, [eagle standing l.]. Recueil Général p. 311. De Luynes 2415 var. (different magistrate).
Extremely rare, only very few specimens known. A portrait of excellent
Hellenistic style struck in high relief, reverse slightly off-centre,
otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc

Ex Nomos 2, 2010, 107 and Nomos 6, 2012, 85 sales. From a Scandinavian private collection.
Although the city had struck no coinage earlier, the mint of Kios suddenly struck a series of gold staters and silver fractions in the period c. 340-330 BC. It has been suggested that the new coinage was produced to hire mercenaries in preparation for the Macedonian invasion of the Persian Empire that finally came in 336 BC, an argument further bolstered by a supposed resemblance between the Apollo on the coinage of Kios and the Apollo who appears on the popular gold staters of Philip II. However, the similarity of the Apollos seems illusory-the god has locks falling down the back of his neck on the Kian issues while the Apollo depicted by Philip II actually has short hair. Also problematic for the theory that the coinage was related to hiring mercenaries in support of Alexander the Great’s entry into western Asia Minor is the fact that hoard evidence does not indicate that the coinage of Kios travelled especially far from its region of issue. Since the associated silver issues are primarily struck to the Persic weight standard and therefore probably intended for use locally, one wonders whether the coinage might have been struck to finance the defence of Kios or perhaps even support the Persian fleet. The latter possibility seems to be raised by the prominent naval design used for the reverse of the present gold issue and the associated silver.