Catalog
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| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 460 BC - 400 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Electrum Stater (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The diademed and radiate head of Helios is depicted in a dynamic kneeling pose facing right, his figure straining as he restrains his two prancing horses, rendered in a vigorous archaic style characteristic of Kyzikene coinage. The composition conveys great movement and energy, with the god's outstretched arms controlling the rearing animals. Beneath the principal design group, a tunny fish — the civic emblem of Kyzikos — is placed horizontally in the lower field, serving as the city's identifying badge. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | ND (460 BC - 400 BC) |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage production in the eastern Aegean for well over a century, and the city's staters functioned as a de facto international currency across Greek mercantile networks — accepted by mercenaries, treasurers, and traders from the Black Sea to Egypt. The Kyzikenoi, as they were known, were guaranteed by the city against debasement, an unusual commercial promise that made them trusted far beyond their region of issue.
The specific Von Fritze classification places this piece within a tightly catalogued sequence; Fritze's 1912 monograph remains the foundational reference for the series despite over a century of subsequent scholarship.