FLOAT
Lydian gold stater of the reign of Croesus, c. 560-546 BC, confronted lion and bull foreparts — the Metropolitan Museum of Art's example (gift of the American Society for the Excavation of Sardis, 1926), not the NGC Ancients MS★ heavy-series stater the FLOAT constituent is priced on.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of The American Society for the Excavation of Sardis, 1926 (CC0)

Croesus Gold Stater (Lydia)

Maker
Kingdom of Lydia, King Croesus
Year
c.561-546 BC
Rank
69 of 100

Croesus Gold Stater (Lydia)

Croesus Gold Stater (Lydia) by Kingdom of Lydia, King Croesus (c.561-546 BC) is ranked 69 in the FLOAT 100 for Coins. It sold for $96,000 on 8 January 2024. Among the first true gold coins in history — struck under the proverbially wealthy King Croesus; a foundational world rarity.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

Among the first true gold coins in history — struck under the proverbially wealthy King Croesus; a foundational world rarity.

AV gold stater, heavy series, confronted lion and bull foreparts, NGC Ancients MS★ 5/5 5/5

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure
$96,000
Kind
Realized at auction
Date
8 January 2024

Heritage Auctions, NYINC World & Ancient Coins, Jan 8 2024 (lot 31029). Lydia, Croesus heavy-series gold stater, NGC Ancients MS★ (5/5 strike, 5/5 surface), realized $96,000.

This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.

How this is made

The figure
One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not
A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
Why no grade ladder
Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
Archive
2026-08-08