Stater

Lampsakos, positioned on the Asian shore of the Hellespont, controlled one of the most strategically vital water passages in the ancient world, and its gold coinage reflects that leverage directly. The city minted prolifically in gold at a time when most Greek poleis relied on silver, a choice almost certainly tied to access to Lydian and Phrygian gold sources moving through its markets rather than any local mine. Persian satrapal influence over the Troad during this period made autonomous gold coinage here a pointed political statement.

The Baldwin and SNG France references place this piece within a well-documented but genuinely scarce series.