AKARNANIA, Leukas AR Diobol. 0.75g, 11.3mm MINTED: AKARNANIA, Leukas, circa 450-400 BC REF: BCD Akarnania 183; HGC 4, 844 (R1) OBVERSE: Pegasos right with curled wing; Λ, below.

REVERSE: Δ-I-O, Pegasos facing slightly left, rearing up on hind legs, wings spread.

Notes:

In modest condition, but abit nicer in hand.   

The reverse bears the inscription "ΔΙΟ", which states the value of the coin, a diobol, but more remarkably, it features a very rare front-facing pegasos, with the die engraver employing the artistic technique of foreshortening to realistically depict the pegasos rearing up on its hind legs and with its wings spread out.  Not only rare, but a genuinely fascinating type!

Historical Notes:

Leukas (present day Lefkada) is an island in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.  The sanctuary of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was one of the most important on the island.  A legend written about by the Athenian playwright Menander suggests that the famous poet Sappho of Lesbos (620-570 BC) committed suicide by leaping off the cliffs of Leukas.