CILICIA. Soloi. Circa 385-350 BC. Stater (Silver, 23 mm, 10.65 g, 12 h), Apatorios. AΠATOPIΩΣ EΓΛYΨEN Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with a griffin on the bowl. Rev. ΣO-ΛE-ΩN Grape bunch; to left and right, AI-P; all within incuse square; the tendril outside. NFA XXV, 29 November 1990, 172 = SNG Paris 175. SNG Levante -. SNG von Aulock -. Extremely rare and of great interest, apparently the second example known and the only one in private hands. The obverse struck from a worn die and with a test cut on the reverse, otherwise, very fine.
The exceptional obverse legend AΠATOPIΩΣ EΓΛYΨEN literally translates as 'Apatorios has engraved'. Perhaps the sculptor Apatorios added the verb 'has engraved' to avoid confusion between his name as an artist, of which he was evidently proud, and the name of the magistrate on the reverse. Apatorios also signed a small number of dies at Issos, leaving out the additional verb, perhaps because those issues did not carry the name of a magistrate