Alexander's legacy

Alexander the Great had a major influence on the world, including the world of numismatics. He minted tetradrachms in massive numbers and they are still common today. After he died in 323 BC some of his successors continued the same basic design and even continued his name in the legend AΛEΞANΔPOY down the right.

Here is an example from long after he died:

33-32 mm. 16.00 grams.
Struck at the small city of Temnos in Aeolis (about 20 km north of Smyrna, in Asia Minor). Dated to c. 188-170 BC by Martin Price.
Heracles head right in lion-skin headdress.
Zeus seated left, legs crossed, holding eagle on long vertical scepter, AΛEΞANΔPOY down the right, oenochne (similar to an amphora) and vine-tendril to the left [symbols of the city, which is known from other types of Temnos]
EXENI/KOΣ below forearm, ΓEI/TAΣ below seat.
During Alexander's lifetime his tetradrachms were 25-27 mm and thick. Later tetradrachms throughout Asia became broader and thinner. This one, at 33-32 mm is very broad. If you like big coins, this one is easy to like.

Sear Greek 4226 (with these exact control marks)
Price 1690. There were 57 of this exact type in the Tel Kotchek hoard. Tel Kotchek is on the border between Syria and Iraq on the railroad route between Istanbul and Baghdad. The hoard was published in 1973 by H. Seyrig in a reference I don't have. Price also notes other hoards from Syria have coins of Temnos. He notes, "A large quantity of this coinage and that of Alabanda [a very similar posthumous type, but minted in Caria] reached Syria.... There is as yet no clear explanation for this."

Show us some posthumous Alexanders and tell us their stories if you know them.

 

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Silver tetradrachm

Obv:– Head of (Alexander the Great as) Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress knotted at base of neck
Rev:– ALEXANDPOY, Zeus seated left, holding eagle in right hand and scepter in left, IA/F in left field
Minted in Phaselis mint. Civic issue, dated CY 11 (208/7 B.C.).
Reference:– Price 2849
29.70mm. 16.70 gms.

 

I hope that you will allow this one too, just because of the huge flan size.

Silver tetradrachm

Obv:– Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon.
Rev:– Athena enthroned l., holding Nike on extended r. hand and spear, and resting l. elbow on shield propped against throne; LUSIMACOU in l. field; KP monogram in inner field; BY on throne, BASILEWS in r. field; ornamented trident in exergue
Minted in Byzantium, circa 2nd Century B.C. (Posthumous Issue)

Weight 16.97g. Size 37.11 mm

 

One of my favorite coins (which is probably why it was the coin I played in the 1st round of @Curtisimo's 2018 cointest)!

MACEDONIAN KINGDOM.
Alexander III the Great (336-
323 BC). AR tetradrachm
(15.98 gm). About VF,
countermark, graffito.Late
posthumous issue of Perga,
dated CY 27 (195/4 BC).
Heracles wearing lion-skin,
AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus seated left
on backless throne, right leg
drawn back, feet on ground line,
eagle in right hand, scepter in
left; KI in left field, Seleucid
anchor countermark in rectangle
inouterrightfield.Price2941

 

Wow! Photos cannot do flan size justice. But, hold them in your hand and you know you really have something special.

 

Great coins all.

 

Postumus Alexander struck under Seleukos I Nikator. Babylon mint 311-300 BC,

 

I love the look of the these late Alexander tets. The large flans are quite impressive. I'll contribute an earlier one.

Seleukos I Nikator AR Tetradrachm circa 280 B.C. Pergamon mint. Struck under Philetairos, in the name of Seleukos I, types of Alexander III of Macedon.
29.5mm, 17.12 g.
Obv. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin.
Rev: Zeus Aëtophorus seated left; in left field, helmeted head of Athena right; crescent below throne.
SC 308b; HGC 9, 125a.

What makes this tetradrachm so interesting to me is that it was struck in the city of Pergamon by Philetairos, founder of the Attalid dynasty, with the image of Alexander on the obverse and the name of Seleukos I Nikator, the founder of the Seleucid Empire, on the reverse shortly after his assassination by a son of Ptolemy I Soter, founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

 

Here's my favourite in my collection, by a long shot:

Issued on Rhodes in 205-190 BCE (see the rose and PO on the reverse), the die engraver saw fit to hide his name ΔΑΝ (for "Danaos") behind the ear on the obverse. I can see why he was proud of his work. (I've matched the obverse die with some museum examples.) The coin is also very historical due to its association with the Cretan War. Diameter 33mm.

 

Wow! I really love that side view photo!!

 

very nice coins all....i've always been "to tight for tets" ..but i do have drams of the man and i've even gave one as a gift(not shown), that was my 1st ancient silver coin to buy...i think the 2nd silver(or possibly both) is a posthumous issue but i'm not positive..

 

that is quite a coin ain't it?!..

 

This one is listed Price 1686- Temnos civic issue. I don't know what do they mean by civic issue?

 

My contribution (as with most of my coins shown here many times before) from Arados was dated in exergue to OE or year 75 (185 BC) but I only know this because I have seen a coin of the same dies that was not centered high so it had those letters on flan (Cederlind list #85 coin 43). The die is very distinctive because of the long die break across the center of Zeus' body. Obviously I would prefer a coin with the date on flan but finding the die match is a close second.

A civic issue like mine above refers to the coin being issued by the city (e.g. Arados or Temnos) after the line of kings had expired but the Alexander types were still popular. My 185 BC coin was several generations after the death of the last person who lived during the time of Alexander.

Another interesting (to me, anyway) Alexander is this tetradrachm with unfortunate obverse centering. At 16.9g and good metal it would seem to be good spending money but the style is not a match of any regular issue. The curved Basileus and feet position do not seem consistent. The big oddity is the complete lack of a minor device or mint letter. I would be interested in comments from any specialist in these coins. I got it from Christian Blom in 1990.

 

Fat Alexander!


Arados mint. Civic issue, dated CY 59 (201/0 BC). 17.04 gm
Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress
Rev: Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; palm tree in left field, AP monogram below throne, QN (date) in exergue.
Price 3389. Same obverse die as British Museum 1857, 1218.8
Ex Classical Numismatic Group 57, March 2001, lot 226, and ex Garth R. Drewry Collection

I am convinced the die cutter would not have depicted "Alexander" so fat unless he was coping a local magistrate.

 

Probably a Celtic imitation?

 

Here is a 35-34 mm posthumous Alexander the Great:



Struck at Alabanda, Caria, c. 173-167 BC.
Distinguished by Pegasus flying left and an "E" below the throne.
Sear Greek 4765. Price 2464a page 310 plate XVVIII (same dies).

A 35-34 mm silver tetradrachm is impressive in hand.

Some of you must have other posthumous Alexanders not yet posted. Let's see them!

 

Here's one:


Kings of Macedon, temp. Kassander – Alexander (son of Kassander). Circa 310-294 BC.
AR Tetradrachm, 26mm, 16.8 g, 6h, Amphipolis mint, in the name and types of Alexander III.
Obv.:Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin.
Rev.: Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; in left field, Λ above torch; ΔI monogram below throne.

 

Here are a couple of his half brother Philip III Arrhidaeus. Both were struck in Babylon.