Phanes coins
Coins of the 7th century B.C.
The Phanes coins are a series of early electrum coins from Caria in Asia Minor. They were issued in seven denominations, the largest being the stater and the smallest 1/96 stater. Each is decorated with an image of a stag or part of stag on the obverse; additionally the two largest denominations have an inscription naming "Phanes", for which they are named. The Phanes coins are the most ancient inscribed coin series at present known.
Coins
The Phanes coins are a series of coins issued in seven denominations: stater, 1/3, 1/6, 1/12, 1/24, 1/48, and 1/96 stater. The staters weigh 14.1 grams. All of the coins have the image of a stag or part of a stag on them. The coins were likely struck at Ephesus. There has been no systematic analysis of the metal content of all of the known coins, but twenty have been tested since the 1980s; of these fifteen have a gold content of between 40% and 47% and a silver content of between 51% and 56.5%.
The stater and 1/3 stater coins from this series both bear Greek inscriptions.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Phanes coins” as coins of the 7th century B.C. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as coins of the 7th century B.C. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7180458. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Phanes coins”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Phanes coins primary sources, Phanes coins archive and Phanes research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Phanes coins”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Phanes coins” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.