The wealthy city of Selinus on the southwest coast of Sicily was among the first in Magna Graecia – the Greek cities of southern Italy and Sicily – to issue coins. They were always adorned with the leaf of the selinon plant, the wild celery that grew all around the city, and to which Selinus owed its name.
This coin is one of the earlier issues of the Selinus mint, which began its production in the second half of the 6th century BC. The reverse bears a so-called quadratum incusum divided into triangles with raised and depressed sections. On later issues, this incuse square was occupied by a celery leaf as well.