A silver stater possibly spent by Olympic powerhouse wrestler Milo of Croton or mathematical genius Pythagoras or one of their respective followers, is featured in the January 8 – 9 NYINC World Coins Auction.
The piece, which hails from Croton (contemporary Crotone, Italy), was struck in the same location and period as Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician responsible for the Pythagorean Theorem who founded a school named the Pythagoreans. Similarly, Milo of Croton, celebrated for his six Olympics wrestling titles, also resided in Croton during the mintage of this coin.
This historically-significant coin was produced by striking a silver round with a stamp (typically made of lead), engendering the congruence of designs on the obverse and reverse (a decorated tripod).