Alexander I: Persian puppet? Did they get it wrong or do I need glasses?

In today's Obols auction I saw a coin I recognized that wasn't from someone else's collection
It was VERY similar (pretty sure it's the same type) to my own.
Mine and the description:

Alexander I

498-454 BC. AR Tetrobol (15mm, 1.97 g). Horse right / Quadripartite incuse square. Raymond pl. V, b; SNG ANS 20.
Ex Savoca

And the one that is not mine from today's auction:

KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander I, 498-454 BC. Tetrobol (Silver, 14.5 mm, 1.83 g), Aigai, probably before 480/79. Horse standing to right. Rev. Quadripartite linear square with a kerykeion at the center; all within a shallow incuse square. BMC 6 = Raymond pl. V, b. SNG ANS -. SNG Munich 8. Extremely rare. Light porosity, scratches on reverse, otherwise, fine.
From the Trausnitz Collection, acquired prior to 2007.

Raymond concluded that this rare issue was most likely struck before Alexander's escape from Persian influence in 480/79, yet the fine style of the incuse is unlike his earliest coinage. Thus, she was unable to place it securely within the established chronology of Alexander's coinage. Likewise the low weight - which corresponds precisely to the weight of a triobol on the Macedonian octadrachm standard (1.83 g) - of this and the other fractional issues she illustrates leaves little room for a certain identification of the denomination. This coin could be a very light-weight tetrobol or it could equally be a triobol. Because of the significant wear and the likelihood of internal crystallization of this piece, we have called it a tetrobol, assuming that when it was freshly minted it was probably close to the theoretical weight of 2.18 g on the Macedonian tetradrachm standard.

Very cool description of Raymond's analysis of the type... especially the very specific dating of 480/79 previous to his escape from Persian influence
Though, mine is slightly heavier by a hair's breath, it is clearly the same denomination.
But what I don't see is Kerry nor her keion's
"Quadripartite linear square with a kerykeion at the center; all within a shallow incuse square."
I see no caduceus. I see a small circle in the top left sector on both. Do you?
Here's 2 of what we're looking for:

(Did Ryro just use the flimsiest of pretexts to post another Macedonian shield coin? You bet your sweet cheeks I did)

To enjoy the type, time and the namesake of Alexander III The Great, let's remember a few things.
Alexander I claimed descent from the Argive family that claimed its descent from Herakles himself! As, Alexander the Great would a couple centuries later.

(Herakles would kick himself later for having posed for his statue on the coldest day Greece had seen for a millennia)

Macedon was one of the nearest kinda Greek states to Persia and essentially had to/decided to work with at the start of the Peloponnesian war.
Alexander I gave his sister up to marry a Persian general.
However, in 479 Alexander would turn on the Persian Achaemenids by giving Athens key strategic information on the eve of the battle of Plataea!


Any corrections, other stories of the man, his coins of course, thoughts on the Obols description and anything else early Macedon are appreciated

 

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I have no idea what they're looking at if they're saying there's a caduceus at the center. Where? Maybe I need a microscope.

 

Cool coin, and nice writeup. Hey, where did that shield coin come from???

One of my favorites.

This guy had a tough, narrow path to walk between Persia and the Greek World... and to have his Nation survive.


Makedon
Alexander I
498-454 BCE
AR Obol
10mm 0.75g
Horse -
Quadripartite incuse sq
SNG ANS 32 Rare
Ex: Comptoir des Monnaies, Germany

 

Could the kerykeion possibly be the object in the upper right square, placed diagonally, that looks like some kind of stick with schmutz at the end of it?

 

Lol! Hilarious react to the shield coin
Nice! Like my coin... but with class

 

Golly, I think you might be right! I was referring to the circle in that quadrant in the very bottom right corner. But, in mine, better than the Obols, I think I can see a diagonal kerykeion much like the slightly angled one in the reverse of my shield coin!
However, I just don't see anything on the Obols coin. Though, if all this type have that it may be assumed?

 

I saw it better on the Nomos site, where I was able to enlarge the photo more.

 

AH! I had to look up Schmutz (must be a term used within a 20 mi radius of NYC)

@Ryro 's coin...

 

@Ryro - I'd take your coin over the other based on your OP pictures. I don't see a caduceus (or a kerykeion), I do see the "schmutz" in top right - but I can't make out a caduceus (link to Raymond below may help). I'll add an Alexander IPerdikkas II (son of Alexander I) tetrobol with a forepoart of lion.

Correction: Kings of Macedon, Perdikkas II, 451-413 BC, AR Tetrobol (15mm, 2.37 g, 3h), Heavy series, Aigai mint(?), Struck 432-422 BC
Obv: Rider on trotting horse right, holding two spears
Rev: Forepart of a lion right within incuse square, with two paws showing
Ref: Raymond 185 (A20/P17); SNG ANS 47–51

 

I think this is just a (copy and paste?) error in the Obolos catalog. The kerykeion is a feature of the corresponding Group II fraction in Raymond, which looks like this (not my coin):



Raymond is online, incidentally:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015072447793&view=1up&seq=7

 

Btw OP I am sure Herakles actually asked the sculptor to "minimize his attributes" as it were. Having an abundance of "attributes" was seen as a sign of low class and inferior breeding back then. Only animals and barbarians were seen like that. I know, times have changed.

 

WoWiE! Thanks so much for the resource
And you are spot on. AC search yielded the same results. But now cross referenced with Raymond we can clearly see the difference (scroll to the very bottom for the coin porn...uh uh, I mean plates) between the kerykeion and basic incuse punch. I have to assume that mine is one of his earlier types due to this. But will be reading up on it

 

Nice one, @Sulla80 ! Yours has a great obverse... the hooves plod the ground... And, now, since you broke out a Perdikkas, I would like to toss mine out...

@Ryro , don’t you have one of these?


MAKEDON
Perdikkos II 454-413 BCE
AR heavy tetrobol 2.4g 15mm 12h mint 437-431 BC
horseman holding two spears prancing
Forepart Lion in incuse square
Raymond 184ff SNG ANS 47ff

 

But to keep things moving I better post a pre Philip II Macedonian king (dang I forgot just how big the gap is from Perdikkos II to A-mintyass III is)
Here's Philip II's pops. Phil was not the oldest and had to wait for his shot:

Amyntas III
(393-369 BCE). 3.42 g.
17 mm. Tetrachalkon. Aigai or Pella.
Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin.
Rev: AMYNTA.
Eagle standing right, grasping serpent with talons.
SNG Alpha Bank 214-230.
Very fine.
Ex-Savoca

 

Back in September 2019 (Planchet Vol 66 Issue 5) I wrote an article on my thoughts on Alexander I of Macedon as I had just bought this coin
Alexander I Ar Oktradrachm Aigai? Mint 492-480/479 BC Obv Horseman standing behind horse all facing right. Anepigraphic Rv Quadripartite incuse square. 28.43 grms 30mm Photo by W. Hansen
I do not think he was a Persian puppet however I do think he could walk upright under a snakes belly wearing a top hat. He was certainly duplicitous and I do not think he particularly liked the Persians though he did use them to expand his territory. His midnight ride on the eve of Plataea does raise some suspicions of "fake news" however there is absolutely no evidence that his army ever crossed swords with Greek forces during the campaign by the Persians to invade Greece. His activities after the battle are questioned though it is likely that he had allowed the more disciplined remnants of the Persian army to escape while slaughtering the disorganized rabble fleeing the battlefield. Even this coin is wonderfully ambiguous.