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.
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.