LESBOS. Mytilene. Circa 454-428/7 BC. Trihemiobol (Silver, 9.5 mm, 0.97 g, 6 h). Head of a young woman, probably Sappho, facing, turned slightly to the left, her hair bound with a tania-like diadem and with long curls falling down the sides of her head. Rev. ΜΥ -ΤΙ ( retrograde ) Lion's head to left, with open mouth and protruding tongue; all within an incuse square. BMC 1-2. HGC 6, 1038. SNG Arikantürk 747–8. A particularly charming coin with a very fine and clear portrait-like head of the great poetess. Good very fine.

From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions and from the collection of L. Mildenberg.

For almost exactly similar heads of Sappho see the Attic Red Figure krater dating to c. 470 BC by the Brygos Painter - found in Agrigento and now in Munich (ARV 385, 228); and the earlier, c. 510 BC, 'Six-technique' Attic kalpis by the Sappho Painter (the name vase) now in Warsaw (National Museum accession number 142333). Even better known is the famous wall painting from Pompeii, dating to c. 50-79 AD and now in the Museo Archeologico in Naples, that shows a pensive young woman holding a stylus and writing tablets. Often identified as Sappho - though it surely isn't - and termed a poetess, her hair style is remarkably similar to that of the woman, who we can be sure is Sappho, on this coin.