2016-01-07 Thu

In September 2015, Greece received a 6th century BCE Greek silver octadrachm coin which was illegally smuggled into Switzerland. According to the Greek Ministry of Culture, the coin belongs to the ancient Visatia region in Serres, Northern Greece. It was issued under the rule of King Mossi and holds great value. Most coins of the era were issued in bronze. The octadrachm is one of the rare silver coins issued during this period.

Greek authorities came across the coin on a Swiss auction site in 2009 and have been working to retrieve it since. The Zurich court ordered that the coin be returned to Greece in September 2015 after which the coin was repatriated.

The obverse of the coin depicts a man walking next to an equestrian figure. Both are facing right. The reverse displays a square in the centre with a horizontal and vertical line inside dividing it into four smaller squares. ‘W Ε Ω’ is placed above the square and ‘Ο’ below it. The squares and the inscriptions are all enclosed in a square.