electrum

The Birth of Coins: Ionia's Enduring Legacy

The dawn of ancient coinage heralded a monumental shift in the history of human civilization. Before coins, ancient societies navigated a complex web of barter systems in their trade and transactions. It was in the heart of this transformative era that Ionia emerged. The dawn of ancient coinage started in a coastal region in modern-day Turkey and emerged as a vibrant hub of commerce. Additionally, intellectual exchange pioneered a concept that would forever alter how the world conducted business.

The Challenge of Barter Systems

Before coins, the exchange of goods and services relied on barter systems. While effective in some

Some 600 years before Christ was born mankind started using electrum as a form of payment. This was in exchange for good and services. Ancient man found electrum in riverbeds. They were in nugget form, but it wasn't long before the very first coins were produced. This is how and when electrum was first used as coinage.

These earliest coins known in the ancient world were created from this naturally occurring alloy called electrum, as a result of a mixture of gold and silver. It also often found containing other trace elements like platinum, copper and other metals. These alloys give off a shiny property that easily catches the rays of the sun. A variety of colors could be found to range from pale yellows to bright greens. Occasionally, even a brassy-color due to higher copper