While there is some debate, particularly between Seltman and Grose, it is possible that a man named Philistion may have worked for the mints at Tarentum, Velia, Heraclea, Thurium, and Metapontum. There is however the issue of dating, especially since the date range for types issued by these five mints bearing similar signatures spans over 100 years. Which means either, the dies were engraved by more than one artist or that he engraved numerous dies which were then stored for later use. However, due to the high value and difficult production nature of coin dies, the latter is highly unlikely. For this particular type of Velian stater the φ located under Athena’s chin, which is partially off-flan on this example, is the signature. The earlier types, particularly those struck in Heraclea and Thurium between c. 400-350 BC, were signed EYφ and EY respectively. This means they were probably engraved by another artist, unlike this coin of Velia.