Alexander The Great Tet

So far 2018 has been a good year for me to finally add more greek coinage.

The latest is, I believe, a lifetime issue of Alexander the great tetradrachm.

Some may dislike the punchmark, I think it adds to the history.


Alexander III the Great (336 - 323 B.C.)
AR Tetradrachm
O: Head of Alexander as Hercules right, wearing lion-skin headdress.
R: AΛEΞAN∆POY, Zeus enthroned left, right leg forward (archaic lifetime style), eagle in extended right hand, long scepter vertical behind in left hand, bow on left.
Salamis mint, struck 332-323 B.C.
16.95g
25mm
Price 3139 ; SNG Alpha Bank 662; Newell. Salamis 7.

 

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You really should not have to settle for that punchmark. I'll make the sacrifice and volunteer to take the coin off your hands, free of charge of course.

Congrats Mat. Must be great having a lifetime Tet. I'd love to have one someday. Mine was sadly minted about 30 years after his death. You've all seen it, but here it is again.

 

Thanks

Mine may be a lifetime, but condition-wise yours is a beauty. Especially the reverse.

For threads sake, here is my Drachm.


Alexander The Great, Macedonian Kingdom, (336 - 323 B.C.)
AR Drachm
Posthumous
O: Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck.
R: ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ, Zeus seated left, right leg drawn back, eagle in right, long vertical scepter in left, X within Ω left, KH under throne.
Mylasa mint 310-300 B.C.
4.1g
16mm
Price 2480

 

Congratulations! I see nothing wrong with having a punch mark, mine has a huge gouge taken out that even bent it when the knife hit.


Alexander III
Mint: Arados
325 to 323 BC
AR Tetradrachm
Obvs: No inscription. Head of Herakles right, clad in lions skin.
Revs: AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus seated left holding eagle and staff. AP monogram in left field.
25x27mm, 17.20g
Ref: Price 3424

 

I like mine better. It may not have a punchmark on the jaw but it has much more 'added history'.

 

That’s a wonderful piece @Mat. I wouldn’t apologize for the banker’s mark. It is a lot more legit than coins that have been tooled long after minting to try and dupe modern day buyers. It is a great piece and you should be proud of it as such. Great pick up! I tried to buy a drachm about three years ago that I had to return for reasons of authenticity. (No one thought it was real.). So I am still looking for examples of both denominations.

 

Nice tet @Mat! The banker's mark adds character.

 

Can a fellow be shown where to read about yours and it's "added history"?

 

Very nice @Mat . The punch mark does not bother me at all. Here is my lifetime tet minted in Amphipolis. My favourite feature of this coin is the janiform vase on the reverse.

 

My "Alexander's Ragtime Band" group. Two tets and two drachm. Someone told me the drachm were harder to find than the tets...true?

 

Great addition!!! Here is my one and only Alexander Tet.

 

Nice variety of Alexander tetradrachms.

Here's a re-post of the lifetime issue that I added to my collection earlier this year:




Kingdom of Macedon, Alexander III AR Tetradrachm. Tarsos, circa 327-323 BC.
Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress /
ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (ALEXANDROU = ALEXANDER)
Zeus Aëtophoros (eagle bearer) seated left, holding scepter

 

@Mat , congrats on the Lifetime! Personally, I really like punchmarks, test cuts, countermarks, bankersmarks, etc. Just like you said, it adds to the coin's history!

Here are a couple of my Lifetimes of Alexander III:


Makedon Alexander Lifetime Tet Myriandrus mint-Alexandria near Issus FREED


Makedon Alexander - Alexandrine Babylon Di-Shekel Tet 24mm 16.3g LIFETIME-Gamma 328-311 Baal-Lion Nicolet-Pierre p291 7

 

Yours is also Babylonian like mine. Notice the similarities in style...same type of bust/lionskin, and a similarly buff Zeus with killer abs. That and it also sports the mint mark of Babylon.

 

I agree Mat, punchmarks add to the history of coins.

2 lifetime tets of Alex III :

 

Very nice tet of Alexander @Mat
I have yet to get a lifetime issue of Alexander. Those darn tets of Seleukos and his kids are just too irresistible.

 

Nice thread with tested tetradrachms of Alexander, the arch-tets you could call them. I have one, from my father-in-laws eclectic coin collection. I believe it is a lifetime issue. With an uneven patina and a large test cut, not in the head of Alexander, but in the feet of Zeus. 27 mm, 17.21 gr.

 

Sweet tetradrachm Mat!

 

Wow, look at the difference in styles, fineness of engraving and overall quality just in this thread. I think that is a good portion of the reason why I haven’t eased into this area with confidence: I don’t know what I’m doing and the vast range of issues makes me think I am a prime candidate to be had by a modern repro. Is there s standard reference for these?

 

• M. J. Price, The Coinage in the Name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus (Zürich and
  
  London, 1991)
  
  
  STUDIES IN THE
  
  MACEDONIAN COINAGE OF
  
  ALEXANDER THE GREATby HYLA A. TROXELL
  
  THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY NEW YORK
  1997
  (Available as a pdf) http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan174624/pdf