Greek passion for coins

[pioneer]

    The Greek passion for coins, and for beautiful
    coins at that, is well known and sometimes
    misunderstood. For a long time this passion was
    not shared by many of their most advanced
    neighbours, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Etruscans,
    Romans, because it was essentially a political
    phenomenon, 'a piece of local vanity, patriotism
    or advertisement with no far reaching
    importance'

source: Finley (1973) 166: the quotation is from J. M. Keynes, A Treatise on
Money (London, 1930), i. 12.