This is one of the world's first coins, produced in ancient Lydia, or today western Turkey, over 2500 years ago. The lion on this coin is seen as the symbol of the royal house. The two deep impressions were created by a hammer, used to punch the image of the lion and bull into the blank coin. Lydia was renowned for its wealth and its last king, Croesus, was immortalized in the saying 'as rich as Croesus.' ••• Cities and empires managed without coins for over 2000 years. Electrum (gold and silver mixture) was used for the first coins, but coinage gained popularity when gold and silver coins were introduced. Coinage probably developed in Lydia because it was a trading center and possessed large Electrum supplies. Before coins, payments were made with metal bullion or by barter. ••• The electrum lion coins of ancient Lydia should probably be considered the world’s the first true coins, in the sense of a state-issued quantity of metal impressed with a consistent type. The earliest issues, thought to date from the reign of Alyattes (Croesus’ father) or perhaps his predecessor Sadyattes—both of the Mermnad dynasty—feature the Lydian kings’ emblem of a roaring lion, almost always with a curious knob, often called a “nose wart,” on its forehead, facing the sun. ••• These are beautiful artistic coins, pioneering the history of money. •