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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Greek Coins| ▸ |Geographic - All Periods| ▸ |Anatolia| ▸ |Lydia| ▸ |Lydian Kingdom||View Options:   | | | |
According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to use gold and silver coins and the first to establish retail shops in permanent locations. It is not known, however, whether Herodotus meant that the Lydians were the first to use coins of pure gold and pure silver or the first precious metal coins in general. Despite this ambiguity, this statement of Herodotus is one of the pieces of evidence most often cited on behalf of the argument that Lydians invented coinage, at least in the West, even though the first coins were neither gold nor silver but an alloy of the two called electrum.SH85433. Electrum Trite (1/3 Stater), Weidauer Series XVI 86, SNGvA 2869, SNG Kayhan 1013, Rosen 655, Boston MFA 1763, VF, banker's mark, some light scratches, weight 4.683 g, maximum diameter 12.5 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 625 - 546 B.C; obverse Head of roaring lion right, with knob and rays atop snout; reverse two incuse squares; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Kroisos, c. 561 - 546 B.C.
The Lydian King Croesus minted the first silver and gold coins. He was famous for his extraordinary wealth, but after his defeat by Cyrus in 546 B.C. Lydia became a Persian satrapy. The Persian conquerors of Lydia continued to strike the same Croesus' silver half siglos and gold stater types. This coin is an early example issued under Croesus. We can tell it is an early example because the lion and the bull were struck separately, with one punch at a time. Later examples appear to have been struck with single punch only made to look like two separate punches.SH24338. Silver siglos (half-stater), BMC Lydia p. 7, 45, pl. 1, 18; SNG Cop 456; SNG Kayhan 1024; SNG Ashmolean 762; SNGvA 2877; Rosen 663; SGCV II 3420, Choice VF, toned, weight 5.343 g, maximum diameter 16.2 mm, probably Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 561 - 546 B.C.; obverse on the left, forepart of a roaring lion right, confronting, on the right, the forepart of a bull left, pellet above lion's head; reverse two incuse square punches, of unequal size, side by side; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Uncertain King Before Kroisos, c. 610 - 561 B.C.
According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to use gold and silver coins and the first to establish retail shops in permanent locations. It is not known, however, whether Herodotus meant that the Lydians were the first to use coins of pure gold and pure silver or the first precious metal coins in general. Despite this ambiguity, this statement of Herodotus is one of the pieces of evidence most often cited on behalf of the argument that Lydians invented coinage, at least in the West, even though the first coins were neither gold nor silver but an alloy of the two called electrum.SH85438. Electrum Hemihekte (1/12 Stater), Weidauer Series XVI 90, SNG Kayhan 1015, SNGvA 2871, Rosen 654, Boston MFA 1770, VF, well centered, scratches, earthen deposits, small edge crack, weight 1.164 g, maximum diameter 7.2 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 610 - 546 B.C.; obverse head of roaring lion right, knob on forehead; reverse square incuse punch; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Uncertain King Before Kroisos, c. 610 - 561 B.C.
According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to use gold and silver coins and the first to establish retail shops in permanent locations. It is not known, however, whether Herodotus meant that the Lydians were the first to use coins of pure gold and pure silver or the first precious metal coins in general. Despite this ambiguity, this statement of Herodotus is one of the pieces of evidence most often cited on behalf of the argument that Lydians invented coinage, at least in the West, even though the first coins were neither gold nor silver but an alloy of the two called electrum.SH85439. Electrum Hemihekte (1/12 Stater), Weidauer Series XVI 90, SNG Kayhan 1015, SNGvA 2871, Rosen 654, Boston MFA 1770, VF, light marks, earthen deposits, tiny edge cracks, weight 1.181 g, maximum diameter 7.5 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 610 - 546 B.C.; obverse head of roaring lion right, knob on forehead; reverse square incuse punch; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Kroisos, c. 561 - 546 B.C.
King Kroisos minted the first silver and gold coins. He was famous for his extraordinary wealth, but with his defeat by Kyros in 546 B.C. Lydia became a Persian satrapy.GS86281. Silver 1/3 stater, Traité I 412, Rosen 666, Boston MFA 2071, Sunrise 12, SGCV II 3421, SNG Kayhan -, SNG Cop -, SNGvA -, gVF, toned, well centered, lightly etched surfaces, weight 3.411 g, maximum diameter 15.0 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 550 - 546 B.C.; obverse on the left, forepart of a roaring lion right, confronting, on the right, the forepart of a bull left; reverse two incuse square punches, of unequal size, side by side; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Alyattes II, Late 7th Century B.C.
SH21297. Electrum hekte, Weidauer 76-8, Traité I 46, F/VF, weight 2.333 g, maximum diameter 10.0 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, late 7th century B.C.; obverse head of roaring lion right, sun with four rays on forehead; reverse double incuse square punch; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Kroisos, c. 561 - 546 B.C.
The Lydian King Croesus minted the first silver and gold coins. He was famous for his extraordinary wealth, but after his defeat by Cyrus in 546 B.C. Lydia became a Persian satrapy. The Persian conquerors of Lydia continued to strike the same Croesus' silver half siglos and gold stater types. This coin is an early example issued under Croesus. We can tell it is an early example because the lion and the bull were struck separately, with one punch at a time. Later examples appear to have been struck with single punch only made to look like two separate punches.SH71650. Silver 1/3 stater, Berk 24; Traité I 412; SNG Kayhan -; SNGvA -; SNG Cop -; Boston MFA 2071, VF, toned, bumps and marks, some corrosion, weight 3.421 g, maximum diameter 13.6 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 561 - 546 B.C.; obverse on the left, forepart of a roaring lion right, confronting, on the right, the forepart of a bull left; reverse two incuse square punches, side by side; an early example with the two animals on obverse clearly struck one punch at a time; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Alyattes, c. 610 - 560 B.C.
Alyattes (Lydian: Walwates?) reigned c. 610 - 560 B.C. He was succeeded by his son Croesus. A battle between his forces and those of Cyaxares, king of Media, was interrupted by the solar eclipse of 28 May 584 B.C. After this, a truce was agreed and Alyattes married his daughter Aryenis to Astyages, the son of Cyaxares. The alliance preserved Lydia for another generation, during which it enjoyed its most brilliant period. Alyattes continued to wage a war against Miletos for many years but eventually he heeded the Delphic Oracle and rebuilt a temple, dedicated to Athena, which his soldiers had destroyed. He then made peace with Miletos.SH93570. Electrum Hekte (1/6 Stater), cf. Weidauer Group XVII, F, obverse porous, low weight, struck with a very worn obverse die, weight 1.907 g, maximum diameter 9.6 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 610 - 560 B.C.; obverse head of lion left, roaring, jaws open, solar disk with four rays on forehead, [confronting another lion head facing right, WALWET in retrograde Lydian script] (as usual for the denomination only one of the lion heads is on the flan); reverse double incuse square punch; ex Roma e-sale 58 (20 Jun 2019), lot 280; ex private Swiss collection; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Alyattes(?), c. 620 - 553 B.C.
Roma Numismatics listed this as an unpublished type. We believe it is listed by Weidauer, however, with the die wear, it is difficult to be certain it is a match. NGC identifies this coin as Ionia, uncertain mint, 600 - 500 B.C., 1/12 stater. The NGC attribution does not actually conflict with ours because Ionia was within the borders of Lydian Kingdom, during this period and a hemihekte is a 1/12 stater.GA96463. Electrum Hemihekte (1/12 Stater), cf. Weidauer, group XVII, 113; Kurth GRPC Lydia -, SNG Kayhan -; Rosen -, NGC F, strike 4/5, surface 4/5 (5771088-001), weight 1.145 g, maximum diameter 8.0 mm, Ionian(?) mint, c. 600 - 553 B.C.; obverse head of roaring lion left; reverse incuse punch; ex Roma Numismatics e-sale 68 (27 Feb 2020), lot 399; very rare; SOLD
Lydian Kingdom, Kroisos, c. 561 - 546 B.C.
King Kroisos minted the first silver and gold coins. He was famous for his extraordinary wealth, but with his defeat by Kyros in 546 B.C. Lydia became a Persian satrapy.GS86286. Silver 1/6 stater, SNG Kayhan 1019, Sunrise 13, Rosen 667, SNG Cop -, SNGvA -, BMC Lydia -, Traité -, Boston MFA -, VF, well centered and struck, porous, uneven toning, weight 1.721 g, maximum diameter 11.3 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 550 - 546 B.C.; obverse on the left, forepart of a lion right, confronting, on the right, the forepart of a bull left; reverse two incuse square punches, of unequal size, side by side; rare; SOLD
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