1⁄48 Stater

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Reverse description	Deeply struck incuse square containing a quadripartite geometric pattern, with diagonal raised ridges forming a pinwheel or windmill motif at the centre. The four sections of the incuse are subdivided by intersecting lines radiating from a central boss, creating an abstract sunburst effect typical of early Lydian and Ionian electrum fractions. The entire design is set within a roughly square incuse punch, characteristic of the earliest Greek coinage technology.
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Mintage	ND (625 BC - 600 BC)
Additional information	Among the earliest struck coins produced anywhere in the ancient world, the fractional electrum issues of Ephesos belong to a moment when coinage itself was barely an invention. The 1/48 stater denomination — if that framing even applied conceptually to those using it — was likely produced to facilitate small transactions in a port city already well-connected to Lydian commercial networks. Whether the Ephesians or the Lydians first initiated electrum coinage remains genuinely unresolved among specialists. At 0.27 grams, handling losses and natural electrum variability made consistent weight guarantees essentially impossible at this scale.