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Stater
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 626 BC - 522 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| 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 | Two incuse squares of differing sizes impressed into the reverse flan, a hallmark of early Ionian electrum coinage produced prior to the adoption of a unified reverse type. The larger square is set at a slight diagonal and displays a rough, granular interior surface, while the smaller square is similarly punched adjacent to it. Both incuse punches were produced by the striking punch used to drive the flan against the obverse die, resulting in the characteristic recessed geometric fields visible on this and related early Phokaian issues. The surface between and around the punches retains the natural convex curvature of the hammered flan. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the earliest Greek cities to strike electrum coinage, and its staters circulated well beyond the Aegean — Phokaian colonists carried them as far as Massalia (modern Marseille) and Emporion on the Iberian coast, founded during precisely this period. The city's merchant fleet made these among the most widely traveled coins of the archaic world.
The electrum alloy here is natural rather than artificially blended — sourced from the Paktolos river system in Lydia, with a gold-to-silver ratio that varies piece to piece. That inconsistency is not a flaw; it is the fingerprint of natural ore.