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Stater
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| Reference(s) | Greenwell#151, Von Fritze#94, BostonMFA#1454 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A quadripartite incuse square dominating the reverse field, formed by two intersecting grooves dividing the surface into four recessed compartments of roughly equal size. The incuse is deep and sharply defined, with alternating raised and sunken triangular sections giving the appearance of a windmill or pinwheel pattern within the square, consistent with early archaic Greek hammered coinage technique. The surrounding flan surface is rough and irregular. No legend or inscription is present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos (Cyzicus) |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage production in the Propontis region for roughly two centuries, and the city's staters functioned as a pan-Hellenic trade currency accepted far beyond local markets — Athenian records and Black Sea excavations both attest to their wide circulation. The naturally occurring electrum used here was almost certainly sourced from Lydia, where the alloy's gold-silver ratio varied enough between issues that ancient merchants likely weighed rather than simply counted them.
The Von Fritze corpus remains the standard reference for attributing Kyzikene staters by their ever-changing reverse tunny fish device, which changed obverse types so frequently that no single type was struck long enough to accumulate significant die wear.