When were first coins made?

The first coins were made in the seventh century BC by the Lydian. They were a wealthy and powerful people living in Asia Minor. These primitive coins were made of electrum, which is a natural composition of seventy five percent gold and twenty percent silver. They were about the size and shape of a bean and were known as ‘starters’ or ‘standards’. The Greeks saw these and appreciated the usefulness of standard metal money, so they began to make coins too. Gold coins were the most valuable and next came silver and finally copper. Greek coinage lasted for about 500 years.