MACEDON. Stagira. Circa 525-500 BC. Stater (Silver, 19 mm, 8.73 g), Attic-Euboic standard. Boar standing right, head lowered; below, akanthos flower. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. Cahn, Stagira, pl. 6, f (same dies). Gaebler, Stagira, 10 (same reverse die) and 11 (same obverse die). SNG ANS 733. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A beautiful piece of bold late Archaic style struck on an unusually full flan. Some minor deposits, otherwise, good very fine.




Founded in the 6th century by settlers from Andros, Stagira lay on an easily defendable small peninsula on the eastern coast of the Chalkidike. The city only struck coins once, namely a very small series of tetradrachms, staters and tetrobols on the Attic-Euboic standard at the end of that century. All of these coins are very rare today and the staters are particularly notorious for being struck on short flans. Fortunately, this is not the case with our example, making it one of the finest surviving coins from Aristotle's native city.