The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

!_> j. MAVROGORDATO.
no electrum coin with a Sphinx of so primitive a type as
that conjecturally attributed to Samos (B. M. Cat., Ionia,
PI. iii. 20-2).
We are driven to conclude, therefore, either that the
first Chian issues in electrum have not come down to
us, or that the island struck silver a little before it
began to use electrum. We must also allow, if the
above-mentioned attribution to Samos be correct, that
coinage did not begin in Chios quite as early as it did
in Samos.
With that caution, then, we can proceed to examine
the surviving coins. It is opportune
to remark here
that the first thing that strikes one on inquiring
closely into any series of ancient coins is the immense
amount of material to be dealt with, but after a very
little shuffling and sifting it soon becomes evident
that only comparatively few of the original issues are
available for our study.
To illustrate this let us confine ourselves for the
moment to the electrum coins. In addition to the fact
already mentioned that no really primitive specimens
of coins in this metal exist, it is worthy of note that
we have no divisional pieces that can with certainty
be attributed to Chios. 28
Considering the numbers
- M . Babelon, in Part i, p. 191, No. 335 of his Tralte, and PL viii. 7,
includes a twelfth-stater from the Cabinet de France in his Chian
series. This coin, however, ought to be given to Teos, or perhaps
more correctly to Phocaea. It most certainly does not belong to
Chios, as the animal depicted on it is a Griffin. This was first
pointi-d out to me by Miss A. Baldwin, and I have since been able
to verify her opinion by personal observation. There is a small
electrum piece with a Sphinx of archaic style r. in the Cabinet de
France, but it is too heavy for Chios besides being quite unlike any
>f h.-r issues in style. It weighs 40 grains (2-59 grammes) ; clearly
a Phocaic sixth.