By 630 B.C., the Greek city-state of Aegina was stamping coins. Like the Lydian stater, the Aeginetan STATER carried the image of an animal, but instead of the lion and bull, Aegina used the sea turtle. The choice of the turtle may have been based on Greek myth or on the obvious fact that turtles abounded in the sea surrounding Aegina, and still do today. The back of the silver turtle stater had a simple design, making it one of the first coins to have a design on both sides.
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