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Stater
| Issuer | Uncertain Ionian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 600 BC - 550 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 | Log in to see details |
| 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) | GCV#3456 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse bearing two incuse square punches of unequal size, divided by a horizontal raised bar, a hallmark technique of early electrum coinage produced in the Ionian region. The upper incuse square is smaller and positioned toward the upper left, while the larger square punch occupies the lower right quadrant, each showing irregular granular surfaces from the punch application. Faint traces of a possible secondary device or tool mark are visible within the larger incuse compartment. No legend or inscription is present. The overall appearance is consistent with the primitive punch-mark reverse type standard for archaic Ionian staters of the late seventh to early sixth century BC. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (600 BC - 550 BC) |
| Additional information |
Electrum staters of this type circulate among the earliest coined money produced anywhere in the world, placing this piece at the very origin of the Western monetary tradition. The uncertainty of attribution is genuine and longstanding — scholars have debated Ionian mint assignments for over a century, with Miletus, Ephesus, and Phocaea all proposed at various points without consensus. Electrum itself complicated the picture: the natural alloy varies in gold-to-silver ratio by source, and ancient mints occasionally adjusted it deliberately, making compositional analysis an imperfect tool for attribution.