Greece Ancient dolphin-shaped AE29 coin, Greek Olbia, Sarmatia, c.5th Century BC

Cast bronze dolphin with raised spine, uninscribed type. 29mm in length, 1.95 grams. SNG BM Black Sea 362; SNG Stancombe 334.

Dark green and brown patina, very nice for these.

The dolphin-shaped coins of the Greek colony of Olbia, dating to the late 6th–5th centuries BCE, are among the earliest and most distinctive forms of Greek money from the Black Sea region. Cast in bronze and shaped like stylized dolphins - a sacred symbol associated with Apollo Delphinios, Olbia’s chief deity - these objects functioned as pre-monetary currency used in local trade and ritual exchange. Their unusual form reflects an early stage of monetization before standardized round coinage became dominant, and they highlight Olbia’s role as a vibrant commercial and religious center linking the Greek world with the Scythian hinterland.

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