Search results
Feb 28, 2014 · Many British coins have had less obvious "tails" on the obverse for a long time: George and Dragon on sovereigns, and endless heraldic lions on most silver coins. Equally interesting is why it's plurals: Surely "head or tail" makes more sense, unless it came about during William and Mary's reign...? –
Oct 12, 2023 · The Aesthetic Appeal of the Lydian Lion Coins. The Lydian Lion coins are not only valuable for their historical significance but also for their captivating design. The lion's head, often referred to as a lion protome, is a striking example of ancient artistic expression.
Jun 3, 2006 · Why are the two sides of a coin known as heads and tails? Generally, one side has the imprint or embossing of the official head of state or an insignia or emblem and hence it's called the head side.
‘Tails’ comes from the simple fact that the tail end of something is at the opposite of the head. Nothing truly special caused the name ‘tails’ to become popular. Rather, it was the logical conclusion from calling the other side ‘heads’.
- Background on Ancient Commerce
- A Note About Historical Consensus
- Composition & Appearance of Lydian Coins
- Legacy of The Lydian Stater
Chiefly, in order for a coin to be legitimately considered such, it must clearly be issued by a governing authority. This distinguishes coins from tokens, barter items, and other limited forms of money. Though there are no requirements that a coin be made of metal, this is largely unavoidable for the coin to function as money (as a unit of account,...
There are, however, competing historical theories about the first government-issued coins arising earlier in Greece, India, or China. In the latter two cases, most historians have concluded that although coinage likely sprung up in China and India independently from Lydia, the evidence suggests that these developments took place after the introduct...
The Lydian stater was composed of electrum, a naturally-occurring gold-silver alloy; though the coins are often reported to be struck from this naturally-occurring alloy, they were actually made from a specific and rather consistent mix of approximately 55% gold, 45% silver, and a small balance of copper. This indicates that silver and copper were ...
As mentioned above, King Croesus (r. 560-547 BCE), Alyattes' successor, decided to improve upon the electrum coin by introducing highly pure gold and silver staters. These coins had the advantage of a more definite intrinsic value of their underlying metals, whereas electrum's worth was more difficult to calculate due to the mix of metals. While se...
- Everett Millman
Feb 18, 2024 · Heads always refer to the front side of the coin, which features a portrait or a head, and the tails refer to the opposite side. It has been used as far back as ancient Greece, where it was said that King Midas would use a “magic” coin when he needed to make important decisions.
People also ask
Why did ancient coins have a lion's head?
Why do lion head coins have a tail?
What is the difference between a head and a tail on a coin?
Why is a lion called a tail side?
Oct 31, 2016 · Although irregular in size and shape, these early coins were produced according to a strict weight standard. They had a design on one side, and the other side was marked with certain punches. The lion's head seems to have been a royal symbol, so we assume that the coins were authorized by the kings of Lydia. Electrum coins, about 650 BCE.
