Alexander III Lifetime Drachm

I've been in the market for another lifetime Alexander III issue for some time now. Fortunately I came across this lifetime Alexander III drachm from Miletos, struck between 325 and 323 BCE. Miletos is known as the "drachm mint" due to its extremely large emissions of drachms. One article I saw stated that there were over 100 obverse dies catalogued, which would amount to tens of tens of thousand coins struck. Theories of why Miletos struck so many drachms are that the drachms were used to pay veteran Macedonian soldiers returning to Macedon and Greece. The other theory is that the drachms were minted to replace the Persian Sigoloi that had been taken out of circulation earlier.

Lets see some lifetime Alexanders!


The Macedonian Empire circa 323 BCE


Alexander at Gaugamela Remastered



Alexander III, 336-323 BCE
Struck 325-323 BCE at Miletos under Philoxenus
Obv. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin
Rv. Zeus seated left on throne
4.27 grams

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Where can I find the differences between "lifetime" and "posthumous"
issues. Thank you.

 

Someone was over ambitious with this test cut which actually bent the coin.

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

 

Nice drachm.


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.

Lifetime Issue


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

 

Thanks for posting your Lifetime drachma and being that you have I’ll post pics of my Lifetime tet.
It has been COA-Ed by David Sear as from the Syrian Myriandrus mint dating
Between 325-323 BCE.
It is my understanding that this mint was only in operation for a few years,
so I invite anyone with further info to please share.
Regards to all CT members and visitors,
J.T.

Addendum: Sorry for that cockup on the pics...noticing as I age I get lazier and lazier

 

Doesn’t the reverse say King Seleucus?

 

ALEXANDER III MAKEDOWN LIFETIME



BABALONIA, Babylon
Alexander III Lifetime
AR Tetradrachm / Stater (or Dishekel)
Minted ca. 323-328 B.C.
24 mm, 16.3g
Obv: Ba’al seated left holding scepter
Rev: Lion walking left, control mark Г above.
(Control mark Г was minted during Alexander III Lifetime)
Ref: Ref: BMC Arabia XXII no.1
Comment: "This type was discussed by Martin Price in his article "Circulation at Babylon in 323 BC," in the book "Mnemata: Papers in Memory of Nancy M. Waggoner." He asserts that a reengraved die clearly shows the "lion staters" with gamma followed the ones with delta. "They are probably shekels on the local standard." (page 67). He dates them to the lifetime of Alexander, because they were present in a hoard with deposition dated to 323/2. He doesn't give the earliest possible date explicitly, but mentions that Mazaeus was governor until 328 and issued coins, so I infer Price would put them at or after 328. So you can say "Struck 323 or before, under Alexander the Great." Quoted from @Valentinian
Ex: @Ancientnoob

 

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

 

ALEXANDER III MAKEDOWN LIFETIME


Makedon
Alexander III Lifetime Tet
Myriandrus mint-Alexandria near Issus

 

LIFETIME of ALEXANDER AE's


Makedon Alexander III the Great AE17 5.6g 325-310 Alex-Herakles lion skin - B A bow case club Coiled SNAKE Price 385



Makedon Alexander III AE 17mm 6.7g Hd Herakles R lionskin AΛEΞANΔΡOY club bow-case thunderbolt M



Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 16 4-1g Salamis-Cyprus mint Herakles club bow quiver SA Price 3143



Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 19 Quiver Club



Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 18 Bow Case Club



Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 17 Struck ca 325-310 BCE Herakles hd r wearing lion skin - Bow in bow case and club branch



Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AE 16 Eagle Tbolt Crescent

 

GREAT EYE!!!

Mea culpa for posting wrong pics and will try to rectify.
Triple WOW!.....just received a trophy point for screwing up my pics.
Guess I’ve been going about this the wrong way...look for future Flubs!
(THANK YOU to all members who liked my screed)
J.T.

 

Excellent!

Thats awesome!

 

Yours is a great coin. Solid details, very centered.

 

ALEXANDER LIFETIMES - AR's


Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AR Obol 7mm 0.51g Babylon Lifetime Herakles lion skin Club bow quiver wreath M Price 3744



Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AR Drachm 3



Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AR Drachm 2



Makedon Alexander III AR Drachm 1


Makedon Alexander III AR Drachm

 

Kings of Macedon. Alexander III 'The Great', 336-323 BC. AR Tetradrachm (23mm, 17.23g). Amphipolis mint. Lifetime issue, struck under Antipater, 332-326 BC. Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress. Rev: AΛEΞANΔPOY; Zeus seated left, holding eagle and scepter; club above monogram in left field. Ref: Price 70; Troxell Group D9. Ex VAuctions.

After defeating rebellious Sparta and it's allies in the battle of Megalopolis in Arcadia, 331 BC: "Alexander appears to have been quite jealous of Antipater's victory; according to Plutarch, the king wrote in a letter to his viceroy: "It seems, my friends that while we have been conquering Darius here, there has been a battle of mice in Arcadia". (Wikipedia)

 

Rule of thumb: if Zeus legs are next to another its a lifetime coin.
crossed legs are struck after his death.

2x lifetime:


after his death:

 

@Andres2. Thank you for the information. That makes identifying them easy.

 

I thought that I had several lifetime issues, at least according to Price. But now several of them are thought to have been struck between 330-320 B.C. So apparently there is some new research that throws Price's dating into doubt? Can anyone elaborate?

 

Minted just after his death, I believe. Really like the patina.

MACEDON, Alexander III of Macedon. Denomination: AR Drachm, minted: Colophon; 323-319 BC
Obv: Head of beardless Heracles right wearing lion skin headdress
Rev: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ Zeus seated on stool-throne left, eagle on outstretched right hand, sceptre in left hand. Two symbols: lyre (Left Field), A (Beneath Throne)
Weight: 4.06g; Ø:1.8mm. Catalogue: Price 1769. Provenance: Ex private collection; acq.: 04-2019

 

Nice coins everyone ! It never gets old seeing “Alexanders” posted.

Always loved that design. Here is mine minted under Seleucus I Nikator.



Seleucus I Nikator
AR Stater
311-281 BCE
15.89