The world’s first true gold coin. Having pioneered the refining process for separating electrum into pure silver and gold, the Lydians under King Croesus introduced a revolutionary bimetallic coinage system around 550 BC. The gold Croesus stater, equal to ten of the corresponding silver staters, depicted a roaring lion facing off against a bull – perhaps representing the royal lion of Lydia leaping to attack its neighbouring Greek city states, symbolised by the bull of Hellenic Zeus.
