The earliest coins known are attributed to the Lydians in the 7th century B.C. By 600 B.C. the idea was adopted by the Ionian Greeks. The adoption of a coin-based monetary system has been identified as a crucial factor that allowed the Greek culture to rise and flourish in the centuries following, to become the preeminent civilization in the western world. This set is a collection of 14 genuine ancient coins, each from different periods and places that comprised the ancient Greek world. The collection was hard to assemble. Coins that make up this set were accumulated over a period of 20 years, purchased individually and in small groups from scores of dealers and collectors over that period. As a result, only a small number of these collections were able to be made, and no two are exactly alike. The coins included in this collection are: Militos 1/12 Silver Stater (6th CBC), Ptolemaic Bronze of Ptolemy VI- (2nd CBC), Persia Silver Sigloi (5th CBC), Illyria Silver Drachm (2nd CBC), Parthia Silver Drachm – (2nd CBC), Sinope Bronze Zeus Head (2nd CBC), Bactria Billon Tetradrachm Azes II (1st CBC), Amisos Bronze Aries Head (1st CBC), Amisos Bronze Gorgon Head (1st CBC), Judea Bronze Lepton of Janaeus (1st CBC), Judea Bronze Prutah of Herod I (1st CBC), Kushan Bronze Tetradrachm (1st CAD), Bactria Kings Silver Drachm (1st CAD) and Elymais Bronze (2nd CAD). The coins have all been inspected for quality and authenticity, expertly conserved and attributed to their respective civilizations and nations, then encapsulated in custom made archival materials and presented in a specially designed, hand-made, hardwood and brass display case with a Certificate of Authenticity. This stunning set would make a truly extraordinary gift for any student of world history or collector of world coins.