It is very difficult to decide when this coin was struck. Traditionally it is dated to the beginning of the 6th century, the period when the first electrum coins were issued. Two arguments suggest a later date, however. Firstly, the weight of our hecte does not correspond to a common weight standard from this period. Secondly, the incuse (the mark on the reverse) is very peculiar. It was made by striking four times with a small punch, a method applied in Phocaia more than half a century later. The weight standard of Phocaia used at that time would match the piece as well. Hence it was perhaps not made at the beginning of the 6th century, but after 525 BC.