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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kirispupis, post: 7720086, member: 118780&quot;]Again, more knowledgeable members please feel free to correct me, but silver and gold coins during this time were minted to pay for something - usually wars but also construction. The government would take a resource they possess (a mine) and create coins, which would then pay for their ambitions.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this case, it didn&#039;t make sense to melt down others&#039; coins, because there&#039;s no net gain for the government. They would have had to take something that was already valuable and re-mint it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rulers did at times do exactly that, but for two main purposes:</p><p>1) Political - to get rid of event&#039;s they&#039;d rather not emphasize (this is why there are so few Eid Mars) or to appease egomaniac rulers (Nero).</p><p>2) Financial. The government would take a heavier or purer coin and mint their own coins with a lower weight and/or less purity. Egypt under the Ptolemies did exactly this, but also Rome over time.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, given the paucity of Spartan silver coins, there clearly was no appetite to do either for gold coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just remember that all coins minted back then had a <i>purpose</i>. The Spartans would not have minted a gold coin because 2300 years later Game3rBlake will think it would be neat.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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