Kyzikos, the Propontine city that dominated electrum coinage for nearly two centuries, produced these staters as a de facto international trade currency across the Greek world. The city's electrum was alloyed with a notably higher gold content than the natural alloy found at Lydia, suggesting deliberate metallurgical control. Each type was struck only once — Kyzikene staters were never repeated — making the series one of the most typologically diverse in ancient numismatics, with over 250 distinct types catalogued across its full run.
The tuna on every reverse was not decorative convention but a civic badge tied to the lucrative tunny fishing in the Propontis straits.
Kyzikos, the Propontine city that dominated electrum coinage for nearly two centuries, produced these staters as a de facto international trade currency across the Greek world. The city's electrum was alloyed with a notably higher gold content than the natural alloy found at Lydia, suggesting deliberate metallurgical control. Each type was struck only once — Kyzikene staters were never repeated — making the series one of the most typologically diverse in ancient numismatics, with over 250 distinct types catalogued across its full run.
The tuna on every reverse was not decorative convention but a civic badge tied to the lucrative tunny fishing in the Propontis straits.