When Coinage Was Born

The exhibition catalogue for When Coinage Was Born - Treasures from the Zhuyuetang Collection (held at the Royal Spanish Mint from June 2025 through June 2026) showcases 148 coins illustrating the development of early coinage around the Mediterranean Sea. The many spectacular coins of the Zhuyuetang Collection provide a deep dive into the wonderful world of Archaic Greek numismatic imagery, so different from the aesthetic language of later Hellenistic and Roman coins, and a vivid tableau of monsters, gods, heroes, and animals. More than a mere assortment of metal objects, these coins tell stories from 2500 years ago about war and international conflict, natural disasters, communities, religion, wealth, and much more. Printed in full color with over 180 images and text masterfully researched and written by two of the leading scholars in Archaic Greek numismatics.

Foreword by Isabel Valldecabres Ortiz
Foreword by Dr. Rafael Feria
Foreword by Richard W. C. Kan
Foreword by Wolfgang Fischer-Bossert and Ute Wartenberg

Cities and Regions of Coins in the Zhuyuetang Collection
I. The Earliest Coins
II. IThe Coinage of Phanes
III. Enigmatic Designs on Electrum Coinage
IV. Ionian Cities: Ephesos and Miletos
V. Revival of Older Motifs
VI. Coinage of the Black Sea
VII. Rich as Kroisos
VIII. Persian Gold
IX. Electrum Coinage in Times of Crisis
X. Kyzikos: Currency of the Grain Trade
XI. Electrum Endured: Phokaia and Lampsakos
XII. Twin Cities: Teos and Abdera
XIII. Mount Pangaion and Its Greek Colonies
XIV. The Mystery of the Derrones
XV. Tyntenoi: Coinage in an Agricultural Society
XVI. Powerful Tribes and Their Coinage
XVII. The Horseman of Sermylia
XVIII. Potidaia and its God
XIX. Terone and its Amphora
XX. Awaiting Further Study: Coins of (Still) Mysterious Origins
XXI. Thracian Chersonese: A Region Between Powers
XXII. Rich in Cattle: Euboia
XXIII. Cities and Sanctuaries in Greece
XXIV. Athens: A Fountain of Silver
XXV. Overland Across the Sea
XXVI. Counterstamped: The Afterlife of Aignia's Turtle
XXVII. The Western Greeks: Beauty and Innovation;

Numismatic Terms and Abbreviations
Bibliography
Indices