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1/3 Stater - Kroisos
| Issuer | Kings of Lydia |
|---|---|
| Year | 560 BC - 546 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.42 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A single large rectangular incuse punch dominates the reverse, deeply impressed into the flan by the hammer strike used in production. The incuse depression exhibits a rough, uneven surface texture with no deliberate figural design, serving purely as the functional counterpart to the obverse die. This type of reverse is characteristic of early Lydian silver coinage and reflects the primitive minting technique of the period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (560 BC - 546 BC) |
| Additional information |
Kroisos of Lydia is credited with issuing the first true bimetallic coinage in history — parallel gold and silver series struck to a fixed weight standard, a conceptual leap that separated his currency from the electrum dumps his predecessors had relied on. The silver third-stater belongs to that reform. His kingdom fell to Cyrus the Great in 546 BC, and Persian forces almost certainly captured the mint at Sardis while fresh dies were still in use.