Coins From Ancient Times Were Often of Superb Artistic Value

Did you know that the very first known coins were made of an alloy of silver and gold? The reason seems to have been that this alloy, called "electrum" was found naturally in riverbeds in the area -- the kingdom of Lydia in what is now the western part of Turkey, near the Mediterranean coast.

The ruler of Lydia of about 600 B.C. had arrived at the excellent idea of issuing clumps of electrum with a standardized weight, and marking them as such with a stamp. The result was what we call a coin. These ancient coins look very coarse to us, they are just little rounded clumps of precious metal bearing a symbol on one side. This symbol which identifies them as coins is usually an animal, such as a lion, often quite skillfully rendered.

Modern measurements of these early coins reveal that their weight is surprisingly constant. The weight of different coins of the same denomination varies only very slightly.

Pretty soon, coins appeared all over the eastern part of the Mediterranean area, now they were produced by the various Greek city-states. The ancient Greek coins soon acquired the look of coins as we are used to see them: flat circular discs with designs on both sides. These Greek coins were almost always made of pure silver.

The city of Athens controlled some very productive silver mines, which made Athens a powerful force in the area. Coins were used to pay mercenary soldiers, which meant that if you had much silver you were likely to win a war.

Another, more pleasing, aspect of early Greek coinage is the very high aestetic appeal of these coins. My personal opinion is that certain ancient Greek coins are the most beautiful coins ever produced in the history of coinage -- including even the most spectacular modern coins such as the Morgan silver dollar.

Using very primitive tools, the ancient coin makers achieved fantastic results. The later history of coins is for the most part a history of artistic decline. Some coins issued under the Roman empire do show great artistic merit, but as time goes on it seems not only the Empire declines but also the appeal of the coins.

Coins produced during medieval times, in countries like England, are very coarse and the quality of the engraving is amateurish. It seems there are no longer any skilled craftsmen engaged in coin production. In my opinion they have no artistic value whatsoever, especially by comparison to the superb Greek coins made seventeen centuries earlier.
Kai Virihaur