ISLANDS OFF IONIA, Samos. Circa 600-570 BC. Hemistater (Electrum, 16 mm, 8.70 g), Euboic-Samian standard. Rough surface with irregular markings. Rev. A square and a rectangle incuse, each with irregular markings. Barron pl. XXX, 2 = Traité I 373 ( same dies ). Konuk, Electrum, Type 1, pl. 2, B = SNG Kayhan 628. Triton XVIII, 2015, 651 ( same dies ). Very rare and most intriguing. One of the earliest known coins. Good extremely fine.

From the Acer Rubrum Collection, and from a Swiss collection, Nomos 17, 26 October 2018, 183.

The electrum hemistaters from Samos are quite a bit rarer than the staters. Both share an obverse design that is simplistic yet uniform among the known specimens; the dies that at first glance seem to be composed of solely random lumps, are, in fact, actually deliberately made following a design plan, which is almost modernistically abstract in appearance.