Editing Coin (section)

====Greek Archaic coinage (until about 480 BC)====
{{further|Archaic period of ancient Greek coinage}}
[[File:Aegina Stater achaic.jpg|thumb|Silver [[stater]] of Aegina, 550–530&nbsp;BC. Obv. [[Sea turtle]] with large pellets down centre. Rev. incuse square punch with eight sections.]]
[[File:Athens coin discovered in Pushkalavati.jpg|thumb|Athenian coin (c. 500/490–485 BC) discovered in the [[Shaikhan Dehri hoard]] in [[Pushkalavati]], [[Pakistan]]. This coin is the earliest known example of its type to be found so far east.<ref name="CNG 199773">[https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=199773 "A Truly International Currency", Triton XV, Lot: 1163, ATTICA, Athens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225205951/https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=199773 |date=2019-12-25 }}, CNG Coins</ref>]]
According to [[Aristotle]] (fr. 611,37, ed. V. Rose) and [[Julius Pollux|Pollux]] (Onamastikon IX.83), the first issuer of Greek coinage was [[Hermodike II|Hermodike of Kyme]].<ref name="Muscarella"/>

A small percentage of early Lydian/Greek coins have a legend.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snible.org/coins/hn/inscriptions.html |title=Inscriptions and Titles on ancient Greek coins |publisher=Snible.org |access-date=2012-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608153318/http://www.snible.org/coins/hn/inscriptions.html |archive-date=2012-06-08 }}</ref> The most ancient inscribed coin known is from nearby [[Caria]]. This coin has a Greek legend reading ''phaenos emi sema''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/e/electrum_stater_inscribed_with.aspx |title=Electrum stater inscribed with the name of Phanes |publisher=British Museum |date=2011-09-29 |access-date=2012-05-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515212641/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/e/electrum_stater_inscribed_with.aspx |archive-date=2012-05-15 }}</ref> interpreted variously as "I am the badge of Phanes", or "I am the sign of light".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Newton|first=Charles Thomas|journal=[[The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic Society]]|publisher=[[Royal Numismatic Society]]|year=1870|volume=10|page=238 |title=On an electrum stater, possibly of Ephesus |url=https://archive.org/details/numismaticchron49britgoog/page/n342/mode/2up|via=[[Archive.org]]|jstor=42680883|jstor-access=free }}</ref> The [[Phanes coins]] are among the earliest of Greek coins; a [[hemihekte]] of the issue was found in the foundation deposit of the temple of Artemis at Ephesos (the oldest deposit of [[electrum]] coins discovered). One assumption is that Phanes was a mercenary mentioned by Herodotus, another that this coin is associated with the primeval god [[Phanes (mythology)|Phanes]] or "Phanes" might have been an epithet of the local goddess identified with Artemis.  [[Barclay V. Head]] found these suggestions unlikely and thought it more probably "the name of some prominent citizen of Ephesus".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Head |first1=Barclay V. |title=Historia Numorum, A Manual of Greek Numismatics, New and Enlarged Edition |date= 1911 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=London |url=http://snible.org/coins/hn/ionia.html#571 |access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref>

Another candidate for the site of the earliest coins is [[Aegina]], where [[Chelone (Greek mythology)|Chelone]] ("turtle") coins were first minted c. 700 BC.<ref>British Museum Catalogue 11 – [https://web.archive.org/web/20131221023256/https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByKcmdYWS2bZWVpFLWRtVXd0Ulk/edit?pli=1 Attica Megaris Aegina], 700 – 550 BCE, plate [http://www.snible.org/coins/bmc/attica/XXIII.jpg XXIII] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032457/http://www.snible.org/coins/bmc/attica/XXIII.jpg |date=2016-03-04 }}.</ref> Coins from [[Classical Athens|Athens]] and [[Ancient Corinth|Corinth]] appeared shortly thereafter, known to exist at least since the late 6th century BC.<ref>C. Kraay, Archaic and Classical Greek Coins, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1976.</ref>

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File:LYCIA, Phaselis. Circa 550-530-20 BC.jpg|Coin of [[Phaselis]], Lycia, c. 550–530/20 BC.
File:LYCIA, Uncertain king. Circa 520-470-60 BC.jpg|Coin of Lycia, c. 520–470/60 BC.
File:LYCIA, Uncertain. Circa 520-470-60 BC.jpg|alt=Lycia coin. Circa 520-470 BCE. Struck with worn obverse die.|Lycia coin, c. 520-470 BC. Struck with worn obverse die.<ref>{{cite book|title=CNG: LYCIA. Circa 520–470/60 BCE. AR Stater (18mm, 9.18 g).|url=https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=347325}}</ref>
File:LESBOS, Unattributed Koinon mint. Circa 510-480 BC.jpg|Coin of [[Lesbos]], [[Ionia]], c. 510–80 BC.
</gallery>