IONIA. Phokaia. Circa 625/0-522 BC. Hekte (Electrum, 9 mm, 2.16 g, 1 h). Forepart of a seal to right; below, annulet.
Rev. Incuse square punch. Bodenstedt -. Boston MFA -. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG von Aulock -. Triton XIII (2010) 186 var. (behind seal, dolphin downward). An apparently unpublished variety of an extremely rare type. A beautiful piece with an incredibly charming rendering of the seal. Struck from somewhat worn dies as is usual for Phokaia's early series
, otherwise, good very fine.
From a British collection of electrum coins from Lesbos and Ionia, formed in the early 2000s.
Throughout the centuries, few animals have enjoyed as much popularity as seals. Their large, dark eyes are not only perfectly adapted for life underwater - they also fulfill the baby schema: juvenile features that instinctively evoke human affection. Moreover, seals are remarkably intelligent - perhaps even more so than dolphins - and possess impressive memories. One sea lion, Rocky, reportedly memorized no fewer than ninety graphic symbols while in human care.
Notably, the name Phokaia derives from the Greek word φῶκαι (phōkai), meaning 'seals', a term that survives today as a Greek loanword in several Romance languages (Fr. phoque; It./Sp./Port. foca). Unsurprisingly, seals appear on Phokaia’s coinage, often as a small motif placed beneath or behind a larger main type. On the earliest coins, however, the seal remains the central design
