IONIA. Phokaia. Circa 360-340 BC. Diobol (Silver, 10 mm, 1.21 g). Head of a nymph to left, her hair bound up in a sakkos; behind her neck, tiny seal swimming upwards. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square, of windmill form and with granulated surfaces. Apparently unpublished and completely unknown, save for its appearance on sale. For the style, see Bodenstedt issues Ph 92 and Ph 100. Unique, of great importance and of lovely late Classical style. Minor marks and traces of corrosion, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions, ex Münzen und Medaillen FPL 538, November/December 1990, 78.

What an extraordinary coin this is! It appeared nearly a generation ago and has, surprisingly enough, been ignored ever since in scholarly literature. Pekın doesn't know of it, and he published his work on Phokaia in 2022. We have to assume, given the lack of late Classical silver for Phokaia, that the city must have been content to use the small change of its neighbours alongside its own electrum; thus this piece must have formed part of a special issue produced as a donative by a wealthy citizen.