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Hemistater
| Issuer | Uncertain Ionian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 625 BC - 600 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (625 BC - 600 BC) |
| Additional information |
Electrum hemistaters from uncertain Ionian mints sit at the very beginning of coined money — these issues predate any standardized civic coinage and were almost certainly produced under the authority of local dynasts or merchant consortia rather than a recognizable polis. The Lydian and East Greek tradition of working native electrum, an alloy of gold and silver occurring naturally in the river Pactolus, made precise weight control difficult; individual pieces from this period routinely vary by fractions that would be unacceptable a century later.
The BMC Greek attribution reflects how little is settled about these earliest issues. Scholarly consensus has shifted repeatedly since Head's original classification.