Hekte

Kyzikos, positioned on the Propontis, dominated electrum coinage production for nearly two centuries, and its hekte series functioned as a de facto international trade currency across the Greek world. The city's electrum was naturally occurring from the Pactolus River region, giving Kyzkene issues a relatively consistent alloy that merchants and mercenary paymasters alike learned to trust. Von Fritze 208 falls within a prolific but carefully varied series — Kyzikos rotated its obverse types with unusual frequency, rarely repeating a design, which has made systematic die study extraordinarily complex.