In some regions and in some periods of antiquity, silver coins were sometimes divided into smaller parts. So far I know of only one cut-off fragment of a pre-Hellenistic coin from Cilicia Trachea. It is a stater of Type 2.3b–c (c. 450–405 BC) from the Kelenderis mint (Figure 1):

Weight:	3.66 g
Diameter:	18.2 mm
Reference:	Bucephalus Numismatic GmbH, Black Auction 36 (5 April 2024), Lot 354 (acsearch.info URL).

The weight of this fragment suggests that it may have served as a third stater. Although it is 0.02 g heavier than the heaviest third stater in the coin corpus (the coin no. 27 weighing 3.64 g) and approximately 0.10 to 0.20 g heavier than the median and average weights of this denomination (see its weight analysis), this slightly higher weight can be attributed to imperfections in the cutting process. On the other hand, it is possible that the weight of this fragment only coincidentally corresponds roughly to the weight of a third of the stater. It is therefore appropriate to also analyze examples of fragments of staters from mints in the surrounding regions, i.e. in Cilicia Pedias and Pamphylia. So far I have managed to get data on six specimens:

Cilicia, Soloi, c. 440 – 410 BC, Figure 2
Weight:	7.93 g
Diameter:	15 mm
Type:	Satyr in the running/kneeling position to right / Grape bunch within an incuse square. (unpublished in the standard references)
Reference:	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 400 (28 June 2017), Lot 298 (acsearch.info URL).
Note:	Only one other specimen is known and this specimen is complete: Nomos AG, Auction 33 (9 July 2024), Lot 1420 (acsearch.info URL).

Cilicia, Soloi, c. 410 – 375 BC, Figure 3
Weight:	4.88 g
Diameter:	21 mm
Type:	Helmeted head of Athena right / Grape bunch within an incuse square. (Casabonne 2004, p. 119, Series 4; SNG France 2, 168–9)
Reference:	Savoca Coins, 222nd Weekly Blue Auction (13 July 2024), Lot 476 (biddr.com URL). Ex Biga Numismatics, Online Auction 13 (13 November 2022), Lot 149 (acsearch.info URL).

Cilicia, Tarsos, Pharnabazos, c. 380 – 374/3 BC, Figure 4
Weight:	4.87 g
Diameter:	22 mm
Type:	Baaltars seated left on throne / Bearded male head left, wearing crested helmet. (SNG France 2, 251–6)
Reference:	Roma Numismatics Limited, E-Sale 116 (18 January 2024), Lot 331 (acsearch.info URL).

Pamphylia, Aspendos, c. 465–430 BC, Figure 5
Weight:	5.80 g
Diameter:	11 mm
Type:	Warrior advancing right, holding shield and spear / Triskeles within incuse square. (SNG France 3, 1–13)
Reference:	Biga Numismatics, Online Auction 33 (14–15 September 2024), Lot 339 (biddr.com URL).

Pamphylia, Aspendos, c. 380/75 – 330/25 BC, Figure 6
Weight:	5.68 g
Diameter:	14 mm
Type:	Two wrestlers / Slinger. (Tekin 1997, Series 4)
Reference:	Biga Numismatics, Online Auction 30 (14 April 2024), Lot 198 (acsearch.info URL).

Pamphylia, Aspendos, c. 380/75 – 330/25 BC, Figure 7
Weight:	4.3 g (weight is given to the nearest tenth of a gram)
Diameter:	22.6 mm
Type:	Two wrestlers / Slinger. (Tekin 1997, Series 4)
Reference:	Bay Numismatics B.V (Schiedam, Netherlands), Online Auction 7 (1 November 2024), Lot 88 (acsearch.info URL).

Table 1 below shows for the above-mentioned fragments a comparison of their weights with the average weights of staters of the given types. The average weight of Kelenderis Type 2.3 is taken from the weight analysis of Kelenderis staters (see Table 1 in this analysis), and the average weights for Tarsos and Aspendos are taken from the comparative weight analysis of these mints (see Table 3 in this analysis). For the first fragment from the Soloi mint, the weight of the only surviving complete specimen of this type is taken instead of the average weight (see above for the reference to this complete specimen). For the second fragment from the Soloi mint, the average weight is not given because these coins are not yet part of the comparative corpus on this website (Coin Corpus / Mints outside Cilicia Trachea).

Fragment	Weight	Average weight of staters	Ratio
Kelenderis	3.66 g	10.76 g	34%
Soloi 1	7.93 g	10.75 g	74%
Soloi 2	4.88 g
Tarsos	4.87 g	10.52 g	46%
Aspendos 1	5.80 g	10.88 g	53%
Aspendos 2	5.68 g	10.74 g	53%
Aspendos 3	4.3 g	10.74 g	40%

Table 1: Comparison with average weights of staters of the corresponding types

As the last column shows, the Tarsos fragment and the first two Aspendos fragments are approximately half a stater in weight, while the first fragment from the Soloi mint is three-quarters of a stater. However, the third Aspendos fragment appears to be too light to be accepted as half a stater. On the other hand, it may be noticed that it has been carefully cut away to make the rest of the obverse identifiable at a glance (the same observation applies to the Kelenderis fragment and the second Aspendos fragment, see Figures 1, 6 and 7). The deviation of the weight from the theoretical value of half of the stater could thus be due to the visual choice of the placement of the cut. So it cannot be ruled out that the cutting of coins into smaller parts really served as a substitute for the missing lower denominations. However, the analyzed set of fragments is still too small for a reliable conclusion.

 

Figure 1. Cilicia, Kelenderis, AR Stater, c. 450–405 BC.

 

Figure 2. Cilicia, Soloi, AR Stater, c. 440–410 BC.

 

Figure 3. Cilicia, Soloi, AR Stater, c. 410–375 BC.

 

Figure 4. Cilicia, Tarsos, Pharnabazos, AR Stater, c. 380–374/3 BC.

 

Figure 5. Pamphylia, Aspendos, AR Stater, c. 465–430 BC.

 

Figure 6. Pamphylia, Aspendos, AR Stater, c. 380/75–330/25 BC.

 

Figure 7. Pamphylia, Aspendos, AR Stater, c. 380/75–330/25 BC.

 

Credits:
Figure 1:	Bucephalus Numismatic GmbH, Black Auction 36 (5 April 2024), Lot 354 (acsearch.info URL).
Figure 2:	Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 400 (28 June 2017), Lot 298 (acsearch.info URL).
Figure 3:	Savoca Coins, 222nd Weekly Blue Auction (13 July 2024), Lot 476 (biddr.com URL).
Figure 4:	Roma Numismatics Limited, E-Sale 116 (18 January 2024), Lot 331 (acsearch.info URL).
Figure 5:	Biga Numismatics, Online Auction 33 (14–15 September 2024), Lot 339 (biddr.com URL).
Figure 6:	Biga Numismatics, Online Auction 30 (14 April 2024), Lot 198 (acsearch.info URL).
Figure 7:	Bay Numismatics B.V (Schiedam, Netherlands), Online Auction 7 (1 November 2024), Lot 88 (acsearch.info URL).