Hekte

Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage in the Greek world for roughly two centuries, and the hekte was its workhorse denomination — widely accepted across the Aegean and Black Sea trade networks as a de facto international currency. The city's position on the Propontis gave it access to both Lydian gold sources and Pontic trade routes, which likely explains why Kyzikene electrum maintained a reputation for consistent alloy quality when other issuers cut corners.

The natural electrum used here predates the era of artificially adjusted gold-silver ratios that later mints would adopt to control bullion costs.