The first western coinage is generally attributed to the Kingdom of Lydia in Anatolia. The Greek cities of Ionia are another contender and started minting coins at the same time or soon after. However, the electrum deposits used to make these first coins were within Lydia, making them the likely first issuers of coinage.
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KINGS of LYDIA. temp. Ardys – Alyattes. Circa 630s-564/53 BC. EL Trite – Third Stater (13.5mm, 4.72 g). Sardes mint. Head of roaring lion right, “sun” with four rays on forehead / Two incuse squares. Weidauer Group XV, 73; SNG Ashmolean 748. A few light scratches, struck with worn dies. VF.
Source: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC https://cngcoins.com/KINGS of LYDIA. Uncertain King. Before 561 BC. EL Trite (4.71 gm). Head of boar with prominent tusk right / Double incuse punch with rough stellate pattern. Weidauer 55; BMC Lydia -; Spier 2; Boston MFA 1760. Good VF. ($1000)
The Spier coin proves the obverse die shows two boar heads confronted; the small flan causes the right handed boar to be lacking. Conceivably, there existed a full stater with the complete type present.
Source: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC https://cngcoins.com/KINGS of LYDIA. temp. Ardys – Alyattes. Circa 630s-564/53 BC. EL Trite – Third Stater (13.5mm, 4.76 g). Sardes mint. Confronted lion heads; KUKALIṂ (in Lydian, retrograde) between / Two square punches. Wallace, KUKALIṂ, pl. I, 1-4; Weidauer Group XVIII (unlisted denomination); Traité –; SNG Kayhan –; SNG von Aulock –; Triton XV, lot 1241 = Nomos 8, lot 187. EF, toned. Rare.
Source: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC https://cngcoins.com/KINGS of LYDIA. Alyattes. Circa 610-560 BC. EL Trite – Third Stater (13mm, 4.69 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Figural type. Sardes mint. Confronted lion heads (only the left visible); WALWET (in Lydian, retrograde) between / Two incuse square punches. Weidauer Group XVII, 91-2; Traité I –; SNG Kayhan –; Boston MFA –. Good VF, edge splits. Clear inscription, excellent die state.
Source: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC https://cngcoins.com/LYDIA, Uncertain. Circa 650-550 BC. Lot of two early electrum. Includes the following: EL Hekte (10mm, 2.33 g). Milesian standard. Forepart of lion left / Two square punches, one with stellate pattern, the other with bird standing left (eagle?). Spier 9 (same dies); Rosen 368 (same dies) // EL 1/24 Stater (6mm, 0.59 g). Milesian standard. Head of a boar right / Incuse square punch with stellate pattern. Spier 6 = Rosen 282 (same dies). The stellate punches on both coins are from the same die. VF. Both coins are extremely rare.
The reverse dies link these two coins to a series of inscribed Lydian tritai and hektai with the partial legend (in Lydian), … late … (see Spier p. 332). Accordingly, the entire series, including the uninscribed coins in this lot, can be confidently assigned to Lydia.
Source: Classical Numismatic Group, LLC https://cngcoins.com/ Map of the Lydian Empire in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC. The border in the 7th century BC is in red. (Source: Wikipedia)
