Stater

Kyzikos, situated on the Propontis in Mysia, dominated electrum coinage in the Greek world for roughly two centuries, and its staters functioned as an international trade currency accepted far beyond the Black Sea littoral they were primarily minted to serve. The city's monopoly on this denomination was so entrenched that "Kyzikene staters" became a currency class unto themselves in ancient financial records, referenced in Athenian tribute accounts and mercenary payrolls alike.

The electrum itself was sourced from riverbeds in the region rather than refined to a fixed standard, meaning alloy composition varies measurably across the series — a known characteristic, not a defect.