Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVI 26 Sep 2018
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Ionia, uncertain mint EL Stater. Circa 650-600 BC. Milesian standard. Striated type. Flattened, irregularly striated surface / Triple incuse punch, with narrow rectangular punch arranged vertically between two roughly square ones. Cf. Weidauer 5 (trite); Traité pl. I, 12 = BMC Ionia pg. 183, 1; for similar irregularly striated stater, cf. Triton VIII, 431. 14.29g, 21mm.
Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare, one of very few known irregularly striated staters.
From the collection of an antiquarian, Bavaria c. 1960s-90s.
According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first to coin and use gold and silver as currency (Histories 1.94). This statement is supported by archaeological evidence as the earliest coins have been found in Asia Minor, in particular in Ionia and Lydia and are dated to circa 650 BC. The material of this early coinage reinforces this geographical origin; electrum, an alloy of gold and silver, naturally occurred in rivers in the region such as the Paktolos and therefore lends credence to this tradition. The earliest electrum coins were blank globules, standardised in weight to indicate value. Later, designs were added such as the striated pattern we see on this coin, in addition to punches of squares, rectangles and swastikas. The denominations of these issues, struck on the Lydo-Milesian standard which was used by most major city-states (except Phokaia and Samos who had their own weight standards), were divisions of a stater weighing about 14.15g on average, going down to a 1/96th stater (about 0.15g). The purpose of this early coinage was probably to transfer large sums of value, such as for the payment of mercenaries or land and property, as even the smallest fraction was of too great a value for everyday commerce.
The striated stater is of particular importance for numismatists as it marks the birth of the obverse design. Explanations for the introduction of this type are varied: one theory is that the lines were functional as they stopped the coin from slipping in production. Joseph Linzalone (Electrum and the Invention of Coinage, 2011) somewhat fancifully suggested that the type emulates the effect of rippling water in the rivers of Lydia where electrum was found, while also highlighting that the design must be considered more than merely a result of mechanical efficiency since its use continued even after alternative elements started appearing. It seems likely though that the continued usage of such a simple type could stem from a combination of its aesthetic quality and the ease of producing its dies. Today the striated stater is extremely rare with not very many more than a dozen or so in existence. It is considered by many to be the first true coin.
Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare, one of very few known irregularly striated staters.
From the collection of an antiquarian, Bavaria c. 1960s-90s.
According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first to coin and use gold and silver as currency (Histories 1.94). This statement is supported by archaeological evidence as the earliest coins have been found in Asia Minor, in particular in Ionia and Lydia and are dated to circa 650 BC. The material of this early coinage reinforces this geographical origin; electrum, an alloy of gold and silver, naturally occurred in rivers in the region such as the Paktolos and therefore lends credence to this tradition. The earliest electrum coins were blank globules, standardised in weight to indicate value. Later, designs were added such as the striated pattern we see on this coin, in addition to punches of squares, rectangles and swastikas. The denominations of these issues, struck on the Lydo-Milesian standard which was used by most major city-states (except Phokaia and Samos who had their own weight standards), were divisions of a stater weighing about 14.15g on average, going down to a 1/96th stater (about 0.15g). The purpose of this early coinage was probably to transfer large sums of value, such as for the payment of mercenaries or land and property, as even the smallest fraction was of too great a value for everyday commerce.
The striated stater is of particular importance for numismatists as it marks the birth of the obverse design. Explanations for the introduction of this type are varied: one theory is that the lines were functional as they stopped the coin from slipping in production. Joseph Linzalone (Electrum and the Invention of Coinage, 2011) somewhat fancifully suggested that the type emulates the effect of rippling water in the rivers of Lydia where electrum was found, while also highlighting that the design must be considered more than merely a result of mechanical efficiency since its use continued even after alternative elements started appearing. It seems likely though that the continued usage of such a simple type could stem from a combination of its aesthetic quality and the ease of producing its dies. Today the striated stater is extremely rare with not very many more than a dozen or so in existence. It is considered by many to be the first true coin.