Tetradrachm, magistrate Herostratos circa 380-350, AR 23 mm, 15.18 g. Sphinx seated l.; in l. field, grapes on amphora. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square with striated borders; on horizontal band, HPOΣTPATOΣ. Mavrogordato 56 and pl. VI, 2. Baldwin, Chios –. Hurter, Pixodarus 19 (this coin illustrated). Rare. A fascinating representation of fine style struck in high relief with a wonderful iridescent tone. Extremely fine Ex Maison Palombo sale 12, 2013, 21. From the Pixodaros hoard. One of the twelve founding members of the Ionian League, Chios was among the first cities to strike coin around the end of the seventh century BC, swiftly making the Sphinx its emblem. The sphinx, a winged hybrid creature with a female head and a lioness body, was adapted by the Greeks from an Egyptian mythological creature, and Greek art often features it. According to some Greek mythology, the sphinx was the progeny of Orthos, Geryon's hound, and Echidna, a monster who was half nymph and half snake. During the Archaic and Classical periods, Chios was one of the richest towns in the world, prospering from marine trade and the production and distribution of local wine, which enabled it to play a significant part in the League. Naucratis in Egypt, where archeological evidence suggests a substantial Chian presence, was the most well-known overseas commerce hub founded by the Chians. It appears that early Archaic traders were involved in the movement of products between Asia Minor and mainland Greece because of Chios' excellent location and one of the largest merchant fleets in the region. Luxury items from the Near East, which were becoming more and more popular in mainland Greece, were the main focus of this commerce. Large-scale wine exports appear to have begun in the early sixth century, and the wine's remarkable quality soon made it well-known throughout the Greek world. The sphinx is known to have been used as the city's civic badge on pottery stamps, coin weights, headings of official decrees, and gravestones of Chians overseas. It was also used as the primary symbol of their coinage for about eight hundred years, a length of time that no other Greek city can match. Please find here the video of the coin