1⁄96 Stater

Phokaia was among the earliest Greek cities to strike coinage, and these fractional electrums — the smallest denominational divisions of the stater — were almost certainly produced to facilitate trade in the city's busy Aegean port rather than for large-scale commerce. The natural electrum alloy sourced from the Lydian river deposits varied in gold-to-silver ratio enough that Phokaian issues were later regulated by agreed fineness standards with neighboring Mytilene under a shared coinage arrangement documented in the fifth century.

At 0.17g, this piece was struck on a blank smaller than a lentil seed.