This week I am featuring two one-quarter ounce .999 silver pieces which I picked up a few weeks ago in my local area. They are dated "600BC - 2009AD", a reference to the ancient Greek coinage that was made in Lydia, an area in western Asia Minor (now Turkey). The wikipedia entry on Lydia states:
The dating of these first stamped coins is one of the most frequently debated topics in ancient numismatics,[11] with dates ranging from 700 BC to 550 BC, but the most commonly held view is that they were minted at or near the beginning of the reign of King Alyattes (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Alyattes II), who ruled Lydia c. 610-550 BC.[12]"
These are interesting little bullion pieces, but I wouldn't pay much over spot for them so personally I wouldn't pay their retail price of about $4/oz over spot (.99 cents per coin, when you buy 100), but if I find more on the secondary market I might grab them. If it sounds like a deal to you, though, here is the website: http://www.lydianmint.com/index.html
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Thanks so much for this information, I've recently purchased a 2009 1 Oz Ag Lydian mint coin.
ReplyDeleteI believe these are pretty rare now.