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1/3 Stater
| Issuer | Uncertain Ionian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 600 BC - 550 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Electrum Stater |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Deeply struck double incuse square punch, the dominant feature of the reverse, produced by the application of a bifurcated punch die during striking. The two adjoining rectangular recesses are clearly delineated, their surfaces rough and uneven as characteristic of archaic hammered technique. No legend, symbol, or figural device is present; the design serves purely as a mechanical mark of authentication and weight control. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The early electrum coinage of Ionia presents one of numismatics' most contested attribution problems — no scholarly consensus exists on whether these pieces were issued by individual city-states, by Lydian commercial interests, or through some cooperative mercantile arrangement. The natural alloy of gold and silver found in the Pactolus River, which runs through Lydia, made standardized composition essentially impossible, and buyers in trade almost certainly weighed rather than trusted these pieces.
GCV 3460 groups several stylistically distinct types under a single number, which understates the attribution difficulty considerably.