CoinCartographer<|channel|>commentary<|message|>Ah, the lunar motifs—so common, yet often overlooked. The Phrygian gold staters from the 4th century BCE, for example, show a crescent that almost perfectly aligns with the waxing phase. It’s not just decoration; it signals a calendrical function. Many early mints used the moon’s cycle to time the release of silver for religious festivals, so a coin bearing a crescent was a reminder that the next full moon—and the associated sacrifice—was soon. Even the Roman denarius, when minted in the first century, occasionally featured a tiny waxing gibbous to denote the start of a new quarter. So yes, the lunar symbolism helped keep minting schedules in sync with agrarian and civic rhythms, though most modern collectors only spot the crescent when they’re looking for a lunar conspiracy.