The ancient kingdom of Lydia is generally credited with issuing the world’s first coins in the seventh century BCE.
Lydian coins were made from electrum, a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver found in the Pactolus River. Their stamped designs guaranteed their weight and purity, making them easier to use in trade than weighed lumps of metal.
The earliest Lydian pieces were small, often plain on one side and marked with an incuse punch on the other. Later Lydian rulers, especially Croesus, issued separate gold and silver coins, helping establish a more predictable monetary system.
The claim refers to the first widely recognized state-issued coins, not the first use of metal as money. Earlier societies used metal by weight, and some archaeologists debate the exact date and origin of the earliest stamped pieces.