The Lure of Electrum. A Coin of Lesbos

Lesbos. Mytilene circa 521-478 BC. Sixth Stater or Hekte EL. 11 mm, 2.56 g. Obv: Head of a ram to right; below, rooster standing right, pecking at the ground; to lower right, [ΛΕ]. Rev: Incuse head of a bull to right.

In Ovid's "Metamorphoses" electrum is linked to divine creations, symbolizing a connection between heaven and earth. Its combination of metals was seen as a union of purity (gold) and adaptability (silver). My single electrum coin, a trite of Alyattes has now been supplemented by a couple of hekte from Lesbos. This sixth stater is a tiny coin at 11mm diameter but the soft metal still retains a remarkable level of detail and there is something magical about the feel of it in your hand.

Mytilene started production of electrum coinage in around 530 BC on the Phokaic standard (16.10g stater) and by the end of the century only the hecte was being minted. Mytilene was one of the few cities which continued to mint electrum coinage after the Lydians moved to a separate gold and silver coinage in the mid-sixth century BC (the others being Phokia, Kyzikos, Miletos, Kyme and a few smaller poleis). The coinage is typically anepigraphic but this one may be an exception, with the tip of the lambda of an abbreviated city name [ΛΕ] just visible on bottom right field of the obverse. Whilst Hoover does not list any variations of this type [HGC 6.954] with legends there are examples on acsearch.info which have one, though all have either part or a whole Λ only and none display the E.

Hoover lists 108 unique obverse/reverse combinations of the electrum coins, making them an interesting series for a collector. Couldn't resist a second....

Lesbos, Mytilene circa 521-478 BC. Sixth Stater or Hekte EL. 10 mm, 2.54 g. Obv: Lion's head right . Rev: Bull's head right within incuse square.

This example has a different colour, arising from a change in the percentage of gold in the alloy. The reverse type is a calf rather than a bull. As a wealthy port city, Mytilene played a crucial role in Mediterranean trade. The electrum coins symbolized the city's economic power and were widely circulated.