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1⁄96 Stater
| Issuer | Uncertain Ionian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 600 BC - 550 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 | 0.14 g |
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| Obverse description | Uniface obverse displaying a bold, concentric swirl or whorl design in low relief, characteristic of the earliest Ionian electrum coinage. At the centre of the spiral motif sits a small raised boss or pellet, surrounded by flowing curved ridges that radiate outward across the flan. The surface exhibits the natural granular texture of hammered electrum, with no inscription or legend present. The design is entirely abstract and anepigraphic, consistent with archaic Ionian monetary convention of the late 7th to early 6th century BC. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Among the smallest coins ever produced in the ancient world, these fractional electrum pieces from early Ionia predate any standardized monetary authority — they were issued when coinage itself was barely a generation old. The denomination represents a theoretical subdivision of the stater that would have been nearly impossible to weigh accurately with contemporary balance technology, raising genuine scholarly debate about whether pieces this small functioned as currency at all or served some other exchange or ritual purpose.