Iberia. Colchis. Anonymous. Gold Stater (1.94 g), 1st Century BC. Reduced standard. Celticized Athena head right, helmet as an elaborate coiffure of spikes and dashes, bird at top, four-teardrop chin, seven-rayed star before. Reverse; Celticized Nike with stylis standing, three pellets upper left, two pellets lower right. Cf.Dundua pl. XIX, 5088; cf. Zograv pl. XIX, 18; cf. Bennett p. 24, 25. Very rare. Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $2,000 - UP
Derived from the Stater of Macedon, these coins became increasingly abstract, and can be broken down into two broad types with numerous minor varieties. In Dundua's chronology, the coin above would be Type I, which he dates 150-50 BC. It is not known whether these imitative types were officially emitted by a central authority in Colchis (western Georgia) or Iberia (eastern Georgia), by a local authority or just issued privately. Nor is it known exactly where these pieces were struck. Dundua, though, argues for multiple mints within the region; one of which he theorizes was the ancient entrept of Vani in Colchis.