Catalog
Hemistater
| Issuer | Uncertain Ionian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 625 BC - 600 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Stellate design occupying the full flan, featuring a prominent central pellet set within a raised concentric ring, from which multiple radiating lines or rays extend outward toward the irregular coin edge, creating a sunburst or star-like pattern. The relief is bold and somewhat archaic in execution, consistent with the earliest Greek electrum coinage tradition. The field between the rays exhibits a granular, striated texture typical of hammered electrum issues. No legend or inscription is present, as befitting an early pre-epigraphic coinage. The overall design is characteristic of the so-called 'stellate' type associated with uncertain Ionian mints of the late 7th century BC. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The earliest electrum coinages from western Anatolia — the Ionian and Lydian issues of the late seventh century — remain among the most debated in numismatics. Attribution is contested precisely because the earliest minting was likely shared infrastructure: private merchants, temples, and nascent civic authorities all had access to electrum from the Pactolus river valley, and no single issuing body held a monopoly. The hemistater denomination itself implies a larger stater already in circulation, suggesting this piece entered a system already establishing weight standards.
Natural Lydian electrum varied significantly in gold-to-silver ratio, typically between 45% and 55% gold.