The general term used to designate such coins of the ancients as were put forth by a federation of states or cities in order to ensure a certain amount of uniformity so far as types, weight, and fineness were concerned.

The principal one of the Leagues was the Achaean (q.v.).

The Aetolian League issued gold, silver, and bronze B.C. 279-168, and the coins usually have on the reverse a figure of Aetolia, copied from a statue dedicated at Delphi in commemoration of victories over the Gauls and Macedonians.

The Arcadian League was established by Epaminondas against Sparta after the battle of Leuctra, B.C., 371, and under its auspices the city of Megalopolis was founded. At this place the coins of the League were struck.

The coinage of Boeotia was largely a federal currency from the earliest times, and the Boeotian shield is a characteristic feature on the issues. This may possibly refer to the shield of Athena Itonia in the temple of Coroneia, which was the meeting-place of the League. This type disappears after B.C. 288 and the League was dissolved by the Romans B.C. 146.

The cities of Chalcidice established a League B.C. 392 with Olynthus as headquarters. The coinage is uniform with types relating to Apollo. It was dissolved circa B.C. 358, which Philip II of Macedonia captured Chalcidice.

The federal coinage of Euboea was issued at Eretria. It lasted from B.C. 411 to B.C. 336 and nothing was struck during the Macedonian occupation. After the defeat of the Macedonians at Cynoscephalae B.C. 197 the federal coinage was revived until this League was also dissolved by the Romans, B.C. 146.

The Ionian League was a very ancient alliance and originally consisted of the cities of Clazomenae, Colophon, Ephesus, Erythrae, Lebedus, Miletus, Myus, Phocaea, Priene, Chios, teos, and Samos. Smyrna was added about B.C. 700. Under Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius the above thirteen cities issued bronze coins in celebration of a festival they jointly held.

An alliance between the rulers of the various Lycian cities gave rise to the Lycian League, B.C. 168, and lasted until A.D. 43, when the Emperor Claudius organized Lycia with Pamphylia as a Roman province.