Mysia Kyzikos. Electrum Stater circa 500-450 BC. Griffin crouching left, right forepaw raised. Tuna fish below / Quadripartite incuse square. 16,03g. BMFA 1455; SNG France 240; Von Fritze 99. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. Perfectly struck. Extremely fine. Provenance: NAC 11 (1 May 1998), 69. NAC 77 (26 May 2014), 54. This stater features a griffin, a symbol of vigilant strength and guardian of hidden treasures throughout the Greek world. As a mythological creature uniting the realms of sky and earth, the griffin served as Apollo’s mount and was often associated with Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, for it was the griffin who was charged with turning her wheel of fate. By placing this formidable creature on its coinage, Kyzikos proclaimed its prosperity.