The first electrum coins issued by a monarch are those minted by king Alyattes of Lydia (died ), for which reason this king is sometimes mentioned as the originator of coinage.A. Ramage, "Golden Sardis", King Croesus' Gold: Excavations at Sardis and the History of Gold Refining, edited by A. Ramage and P. Craddock, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 2000, p. 18.
