It is very unfortunate that the obverse of this coin is hardly recognizable; supposedly the die was a little rusty. It was cut by the master-engraver Kimon, as the inscription in the dolphin below the head of Arethusa on the reverse shows.
Kimon worked from approximately 420 to 400 BC for the Syracusian mint. He was one of the most famous engravers of his time, and he knew it: unusual for Antiquity, Kimon left his signature on many of his coin dies. His decadrachms are among the most beautiful coins of all times.