Parian Tetradrachm

The Parian tetradrachm's obverse typically shows a goat in mid-stride, a nod to the island's ancient flocks that grazed its marble hills.

That design, struck in silver on the Attic standard, made these coins practical for trade across the Aegean in the 5th century BC. We know Paros produced them, likely using local mines for the metal, but exact minting dates remain murky—archival fires and time have seen to that.

One curiosity: collectors sometimes mistake the goat for a sheep, which is like confusing a drachma for a dime.

Variations exist, with some pieces featuring an incuse square on the reverse, but without surviving records, we can't pin down production numbers or the mint's precise location on the island.