How did coins become money?
In the 7th century BC, people in Lydia started paying with stamped pieces of the metal electrum – a mixture of gold and silver. To guarantee the value of the metal pieces, the king’s symbol was stamped on them, first a deer and later a lion.
The Lydians’ stamped pieces of metal were probably the world’s first coins, which in time revolutionised what money could be.
1/3 stater, early 6th century BC, Alyattes, Lydia
