Stater

Kyzikos, a Milesian colony on the Propontis, issued electrum staters continuously from the late archaic period through the mid-fourth century, making it one of the most prolific electrum-issuing mints in the Greek world. The city's position controlling trade routes between the Aegean and the Black Sea gave its coinage genuine transregional authority — Kyzikene staters appear in hoards from Egypt to the Ukrainian steppe. Each type was typically struck for a single issue and then retired, which is why the series runs to several hundred distinct reverse types over roughly two centuries.

The natural electrum used here derives from Lydian river deposits, and its gold content varies between specimens — a deliberate ambiguity the Kyzikenes apparently tolerated, since the coins traded by weight and reputation rather than guaranteed fineness.