Argive Stater

The Argive Stater's obverse typically shows a wolf, a direct nod to the legendary founder of Argos who was suckled by such an animal.

This silver coin, minted in the Peloponnese, served as currency for trade and tribute in ancient Greece. Struck on flans that varied in weight, it reflected the practicalities of early metallurgy rather than any grand design. We don't know the precise years of production; most date to the 6th or 5th century BC, but that's an educated guess from surviving examples.

Mintage figures are lost to time, much like the secrets of those old forges. If you squint at one under a loupe, that wolf might remind you of a stray dog I once saw in Athens—persistent, but not quite the stuff of epics.

Argive Staters turn up in hoards across the Mediterranean, hinting at their role in commerce. They weren't rare then, and they're not now, though condition matters to collectors.