Lot 3869

Description

Lydia, Sardeis, time of King Croesus or later, (c. 550-500 B.C.), silver half stater or siglos, (5.288 grams), obv. confronting foreparts of lion, facing right, and bull facing left, rev. two incuse punches of unequal size, side by side, (S.3420 [ú450], BMC 41, Traite pl.10, 9, SNG von Aulock 2877, I. Carradice, Coinage of the Persian Empire BAR Inter. Ser. 343, [1987], Pl.XI, 9). Toned, very fine and rare.

Ex Spink Australia Auction Sale 23 (lot 1802). This coin is normally known as an issue of the Lydian king Croesus. Throughout the ancient world he was known for his legendary wealth, and it is therefore not surprising to find these most ancient of silver coins associated with this king. The lion is the paramount symbol of royalty and as such was appropriate for his Lydian kingdom. According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first to strike gold and silver coins, but the numismatic evidence is not fully compatible with this statement. Carradice suggests that this coin is unlikely to have been minted in the lifetime of King Croesus and is of the type he calls late Croeseid (c. 510-500). However Sear assigns them to Croesus c. 560-546 B.C. The issue represents the introduction of the world's first bimetallic coinage, gold and silver pieces based on a stater of pure metal weighing about 10.8 grams. This was the initial phase of relatively short duration as shortly after the gold was reduced in weight to about 8 grams for a stater and the silver siglos of just over 5 grams replaced the silver stater. This is an historic and important silver coin from the earliest period of coinage. From the style of this example Carradice assigns the issue to late in the 6th century B.C.