Chalkon

Sikyon occupied an unusual position in the Greek world — long governed by tyrants, it became one of the first Peloponnesian cities to issue bronze small change after the region's political landscape shifted following the Spartan defeat at Leuktra in 371 BC. Bronze coinage of this kind was a pragmatic response to the near-disappearance of Spartan iron currency and the disruption of silver supplies through traditional channels. Sikyon's silver staters had circulated widely, but this chalkon served purely local exchange needs.