Stater - Alexander III Kolchis imitation

The Bastarnae occupied a contested zone between the Carpathians and the lower Danube, close enough to Greek commercial networks to know what a trusted coin looked like, but outside any mint tradition of their own. Copying the Alexander III stater — the dominant prestige currency across the Black Sea hinterland for two centuries — was a practical choice, not an act of homage. The Kolchis-type specifically derives from issues produced on the eastern Black Sea coast, suggesting these imitations entered Bastarnae territory through trade or mercenary service rather than direct political contact.

Weight retention in these pieces is notably inconsistent across known specimens, pointing to small-scale, possibly episodic production rather than organized state minting.