Topic summary
Minted coin
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Mint (facility).
The first minted coins
The first mint was likely established in Lydia in the 7th century BC, for coining gold, silver and electrum. The first coins known to be minted on European soil come from the island of Aegina. A electron stater bearing the image of a turtle dates back to 7th century BC. A mint existed at the ancient city of Cydonia on Crete at least as early as the fifth century BCE.