Ave!

Ionia, Ephesus, Bee and Kneeling Stag, Wow!

Æ 13mm/2.2gm      Uncertain magistrate, struck 305-288 BC?

Con/ Off-center strike on the obverse and minor roughness, otherwise, Good Very Fine. Choice glossy green patina, superior image of the stag.

Obv/  E-Φ, Bee within wreath.

Rev/ Stag kneeling left, head to right; above to right, astragalos; to left, magistrates name.

Ref/ SNG Copenhagen 247-253 var.

Seller's Note/ So, what is an astragalos, anyway?

An astragalos was a gaming piece made from the "knuckle-bone" (typically the anklebone from the hind leg) of a sheep or goat, used in antiquity in for divination and games in a manner similar to dice. Each side had a unique numerical value and, like modern dice, the values on opposite sides added up to seven. They were also used in children's games, where players attempted to knock an opponent's knucklebones out of the center of a circle, or throw their own knucklebones in the air, catching them on the back of their hand, like jacks.

And now you all learned something new!