EL 1/3 Stater KINGDOM OF LYDIA - TIME OF SARDYS, SADYATTES & ALYATTES, CIRCA 650-561 BC - or trite, Sardes vf

weight 4,66gr. | electrum Ø 13x11mm.

obv. Head of lion right, with globule on forehead
rev. Square punch roughly divided in two parts

The electrum 1/3 stater is one of the very earliest coins. It was made from electrum, a natural occurring alloy of gold and silver. The Lydians were the first to have fixed retail shops, probably contributing to the development of the coins. The coin above looks like a tiny nugget with a design on one side only. This ancient stater was hand struck. A die with a design, in this case a lion′s head, for the front of the coin was placed on an anvil. A blank piece of metal was placed on top of the die, and a punch hammered onto the reverse. The result was a coin with an image on one side and a punch mark on the other. Even though it looks crude, the weight was strictly monitored.

BMC 7 | SNG.von Aulock 2868-2869 | SNG.Copenhagen 449  
Weidauer 86-87  SNG.Kayhan 1013 | Rosen Collection 655  
Mitchiner ATAEC 14-18 | Sear 3998 R
Rare historical coin.
vf

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