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Stater
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Electrum Stater (1) |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse bears a deep quadripartite incuse square, formed by two intersecting raised ridges dividing the depression into four roughly equal rectangular compartments, a technique typical of early Archaic coinage struck by the hammer method. The incuse is boldly impressed into the flat flan with no figurative decoration, legend, or subsidiary marks within the individual quadrants. The irregular flan edges are clearly visible around the incuse, reflecting the hand-struck character of the piece. This purely incuse reverse is entirely consistent with Kyzikene electrum stater production of the sixth and early fifth centuries BC. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos, the Propontic city on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, dominated regional trade finance for well over a century through the mass production of electrum staters — a currency so trusted that Athenian banks and Black Sea merchants accepted them at fixed rates regardless of the natural variation in the gold-silver alloy. Unlike the coinage of most Greek cities, Kyzkene staters carried no fixed type: the main device changed with almost every issue, producing hundreds of distinct varieties while the reverse remained a constant incuse quadripartite punch.
The tuna on the exergue line, present across virtually the entire series, functioned as the Kyzikene mint's persistent authenticating signature.