ObverseImage: Wikimedia Commons · User:LouisAragon (uploader) · CC BY-SA 2.5
Pontic Stater
Greece
120–63
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Market Price Range
Based on 2 eBay listings · Prices vary by grade and condition
Estimated Melt Value
$1,188.25
Based on Gold spot price ($4,831.225/oz) · 90.0% purity · 8.5g
Updated 8:09 PM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | Greece |
| Years Minted | 120–63 |
| Composition | Gold |
| Weight | 8.5 g |
| Diameter | 20 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Design
Obverse
Features a diademed head of Mithridates VI facing right.
Reverse
Depicts a stag standing left with a star and crescent above.
History & Notable Facts
The star on Mithridates' Pontic stater boldly claimed his divine ancestry, a propaganda stroke that fueled his defiance against Roman legions.
Weighing around 8.5 grams of gold, these staters featured the king's portrait on one side and the star with a crescent on the other. That symbol echoed Persian and Greek motifs, repurposed to rally his subjects. Mithridates struck them in cities like Sinope, using skilled engravers who adapted local styles.
Exact numbers eluded even ancient records; we know production varied with his campaigns. Some planchets might have been sourced from earlier coins, a practical reuse in turbulent times.
If you're hunting for myths about cursed stars, I've heard them all. They wear thin after three decades.
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