This coin is on my watchlist and my seller showed me one he has up for sale. It seems very worn onnthe reverse. Its 4 grams. It seems authentic to me but I want to be sure. Also what value do you think this coin should have? This one is supposed to be the ones found in the indian region.
In my very inexpert opinion, it looks genuine to me. I rather like worn coins such as this one - and I even like off-center as well. The weight is good. The only thing I do not care for is the fact that there is nothing on the reverse to help with attribution - these usually have symbols or monograms on the reverse, either in the right field or under the throne or both. This is what makes these fun for me, trying to figure out what era and mint the coin came from. Because of the position of Zeus's feet, you could state that it is "Alexander posthumous" but you couldn't really go much beyond that, I think. Here is an off-center example from my small collection of these. It is from Alexander's successor Philip III - after hours of searching, I have never been able to attribute it, never having found the control symbols. It's out there, somewhere, and from time to time I poke around the Internet looking, hoping...I posted it earlier on CT and nobody knew what it was either. It remains as one of my unattributables. Macedonia Kingdom Drachm Philip III Arrhidaios (c. 323-319 B.C.) Thrace-Kolophon mint ? Head of Herakles right, wearing lion-skin / FILIPPOU, Zeus seated left, right leg drawn back, holding eagle & scepter, F left, club (?) rt., knife (?) under throne. Unattributed (3.99 grams / 17 mm) I paid $29.99 for mine, which is on the low end for these, even worn, from what I've seen on eBay. "Real" auctions probably don't mess with these in this condition except in bulk.
Yes I can see from your profile picture too that yu are fond of the slightly worn coins. due to our local sellers only having coins from the indian region, i can believe that its from Arachosia or Bactria. This coin will also put me back $30, and im thinking its worth it.
ALEXANDER III AR Drachm OBVERSE: Head of Herakles right in lionskin headdress REVERSE: ALEXANDROU, Zeus Aetophoros seated left, holding eagle and sceptre. Forepart of Pegasos left in left field, X on W monogram beneath throne Struck at Abydos 325-323 BC 4.2g, 17mm Price 1505
I think we would be surprised at the amount of trade that went on between East and West in the time of these coins. It is not at all necessary that the coins were made there and the wear suggests they had a place in the economy for quite a while. I see no reason to doubt the coin. As far as price goes, some will dislike the coin due to the wear while others accept wear but dislike the centering. At any given moment worldwide there are a thousand drachms like these on the market ranging from what you paid to ten or twenty times that much. We select what is available when and where we are in the market. I bought mine mostly for the mouse: Antigonos Monophthalmus using the types of Alexander III AR drachm
I see no reason to doubt its authenticity. The market for Alexander tetradrachms is fairly steady, but for drachms it fluctuates unpredictably. IMO, in this state of wear, it should be a sub-$20 coin.
Okay, the coin has arrived, the reverse isnt as bad as in the picture, i think the flash removed some highlights by killing the shadows. lovely coin, there is some hints of the legend under zeus
That is a lot better than I thought - I do think you can attribute it. What I do is a Google Image search for Alexander drachm and hope I get lucky. Much of the time I do - there are a lot of them for sale out there. Nice coin.
It's probably not a legend but a monogram. It looks pretty complete. It may help you nail down an ID.
This will probably also be helpfull: http://numismatics.org/pella/results Also, my almoste-lifetime Alexander drachm: Ruler: Philip III Arrhidaeus (Ancient Greek: Φίλιππος Γ΄ ὁ Ἀρριδαῖος. Reign: 359 - 317 BC Born: Unknown Death: 11 june 323 BC Denomination: AR Drachm Obs: Head of beardless Heracles right wearing lion skin headdress; rev: Type: Zeus seated on stool-throne left, eagle on outstretched right hand, sceptre in left hand. Legend: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, two symbols: lyre (Left Field), A (Beneath Throne) Weight: 4.06g; Ø:1.8cm Catalogue: Price 1769 Acquired: 26-04-2019 King of Macedonia from after 11 June 323 BC until his death. He was a son of King Philip II of Macedon by Philinna of Larissa, and thus an elder half-brother of Alexander the Great. Named Arrhidaeus at birth, he assumed the name Philip when he ascended to the throne. Alexander was fond of Arrhidaeus and took him on his campaigns, both to protect his life and to prevent his use as a pawn in any prospective challenge for the throne. After Alexander's death in Babylon in 323 BC, the Macedonian army in Asia proclaimed Arrhidaeus as king; however, he served merely as a figurehead and as the pawn of a series of powerful generals.
