Alexander the Great

I have an opportunity to buy a coin that is an Alexander the Great small copper and its from 350 something BC. He wants 48$ Canadian for it . I don't have s pic but I know it's from mastodon Greece. Can any one tell me what these sell for in average condition. And if I should buy it. Thx

 

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He has a few bronze lifetime issues, and they vary in price, here is a link to CNG sold selection that you might find yours in.
https://www.cngcoins.com/Search.asp...R_TYPE_ID_3=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_2=1

 

Thx I don't know exactly which one is the one the guy is offering but I remember it had s tiny squid on the reverse. Do u know what one it is from that?

 

The closest looking one I could see was the very bottom on the right.

 

I don't know of any with a squid, can you get him to take a smartphone pic of it and send it to you so we can have a look.

 

The value of the coin would depend on the condition. The same AtG bronze could sell for $5 or $200 depending on how nice it is. $48 Canadian would be a reasonable price for a AtG bronze in decent condition without any major problems.


BTW, I've never heard of an AtG with a squid on it.

 

I suspect the "squid" is probably a bow case.

 

That's possible. But I've also seen a Greek bronze (or was it a Roman provincial?) with a cuttlefish on the reverse. Either way, there is some confusion about the coin's correct description/attribution. Proceed with caution.

 

K I think I'll buy it. Then I'll post a pic when I get it. Btw the guy said that the squid or cuttlefish is the symbol of the city mastodon Greece. I don't know if that helps

 

Also is there a site that would explain the background of when an where that coin was made . I searched up mastodon Greece and all that comes up is the band. Lol

 

Macedon, perhaps? It's Alexander's home country.

 

Mastodon?


Or Mastodon?


I'm just kidding.

All I can say if you were about to buy a two cent piece without knowing where it was from or seeing it, would you buy it? At any price? I know it's only 48 so you probably won't be eating Ramen but if you wouldn't do it for a U.S. coin, why do it for an ancient?

Anyway, I hope you get an ancient and it turns out to be awesome.

 

Ya I guess it would be macedon lol thx

 

Average condition is a pretty meaningless description. The price difference between a basal, very recognizable one to a world class beauty is so great and there are so many other factors that can come into play, most of us pay too much except when we pay too little and figure it all averages out in the end.

If I were guessing, I'd suspect the squid may have been the thunderbolt that appears under the club on some of these. Mine was $30 twenty years ago. If yours is nicer, you are stealing it at $48.

 

@1913nickel, I hope you do buy it and post a picture here so we can finally solve The Squid Mystery

(or don't buy it, just post a picture of it)

 

K will do thanks for all your help.

 

I got it and will send a pic soon . Just wondering how much it's worth ,what was happening in the area when it was made,what u could of bought with it/ equivalent to today's money, and how it was made and how many were made thank you

 

Is that a layer of dirt over the portrait? If so the coin could probly be improved greatly from an experienced cleaner

 

Thanks for following up on The Squid Mystery . Out of curiosity, which part of the reverse looked squid-like to you? The bow case? The grain ear?

You'll need to compare your coin with similar coin in auction archives and sales archives, with a realistic assessment of the condition of yours against those of the comparisons. I think you did okay on the price. It's a nice coin of a very important historical figure.

You'll need to research the history of Macedon and the Macedonian mint, circa 336-323 BCE.

I don't have any handy bookmarks for you, but Google "buying power of a drachm in the time of Alexander the Great" and dig deep into whatever contemporary sources are cited. You'll also need to Google information on Greek coin denominations in the time of Alex III. These bronzes are not "drachms" but are some lesser value coin. It might be easier for you to get search hits using "drachm" though.

Many. Many many many.