Ancient coin minted in Babylon? Post it here *

Babylon has been described in the history books forever. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon The ruins of Babylon are located about 70 km south of Bagdad in Iraq. (I’ve never been to the place).

This Alexander the Great Tetradrachm was supposedly minted in the city of Babylon during Alexander’s lifetime. Coincidentally, Babylon is the city where Alexander died in the Eastern Alexandrine Empire.


MACEDONIAN KINGDOM
Alexander III (The Great)
AR Tetradrachm
Babylon mint 325-323 B.C.
17.06 grams, 26 mm diameter
Obv: Head of young Herakles facing right
clad in lion’s skin
Rev: Zeus enthroned facing left with legs
parallel holding eagle and scepter.
Serpent in a bowl to left,
AΛΕΞΑΝΑΡΟΥ to right
Grade: gVF with attractive old
toning and lustrous details in the
protected areas. Slightly off center
on small flan
Other: Coveted lifetime issue coin with
snake monogram from the Babylon mint.
Similar to Sear 6724, Price 3665 Variant.
From private sale June 2013.



This 2nd coin was minted in Babylon sometime after the death of Alexander the Great.


SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA
Seleukos I Nikator
AR Tetradrachm
Babylon mint 317-305 B.C.
16.93 grams, 26-27 mm diameter
Obv: Head of young Herakles facing
right clad in lion’s skin
Rev: Zeus enthroned facing left with
legs crossed holding eagle and
scepter. ΜΗΡ in wreath monogram
to left, AΛΕΞΑΝΑΡΟΥ to right, MI
below throne & ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ in ex.
Grade: gVF with old cabinet tone.
Enthroned Zeus is nicely centered
and Herakles obverse is off center.
Other: Posthumous issue in the name &
types of Alexander III (The Great).
Minted with Alexander’s name,
Price 3746, SC 82.5a.
From private sale June 2013.


Do you have an ancient coin that was minted in Babylon?
Post em if you got em.

 

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babylon mint....added to list also.

very nice coins collect, love the lifetime issue.

you guessed it... also on list.

 

Nice. However I have no coins minted at Babylon.

 

Very nice!

 

Very cool, C89 ... congrats on a couple of very sweet coins ...

yah, I quickly searched through all of my Seleukid Kings and/or my Alex III coins, but I didn't notice any from the Babylon mint (*rats*)

 

How can u tell if it's babylon mint or not?

 

I've got three Alexander tets from Babylon.

 

I've only matched my coins up with similar dies to determine mint. There are several ways. Including bust type, legend on reverse, chair style, and monograms. On the middle tet I posted, I was told that the Eagle's head monogram signifies it is from Babylon (Although I don't know what would limit an engraver at a different mint from using the Eagle as a monogram); that could be wrong as I haven't matched it up w/ a similar die, yet.

 

Here is my Amphipolis mint, for a differential reference

 

Here is a Babylonian coin of the Eastern Alexandrine Empire:

BABALONIA, Babylon
AR Stater (or Dishekel)
328-321 B.C.
16.08 grams, 22 mm x 5.5 mm thick
Obv: Ba’al seated left holding scepter
Rev: Lion walking left, control mark
Г above.
Grade: good Fine to a Very Fine
nicely toned & centered.
Other:Good silver 5.5 mm thick. Anonymous mintage of Eastern Alexandrine empire under the successors of Mazaeus (Stamenes 328-323 B.C., Archon 323-321 B.C.) See BMC.34, BMC.184/36. Babylonian stater coin sometimes called a tetradrachm according to the Attic standard due to its 16 gram weight.
Ex Pegasi auction #19 lot 181 November 18, 2008.
From private sale January 11, 2014.

 

Awesome coins C89, great detail and no test cuts, very nice..

 

First one is a lifetime issue from Tarsos, Price 3011...

http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1089301

Second is from Amphipolis, Price 51...

http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=214740

 

Mine

 

This is an ultra-cool photo with the side view.

 

nice => man, that's a mighty sweet coin ya got there, Dionysos (a total winner)

 

You beat me to it.
With the third coin being a posthumous Babylon.

And I don't mean to be a party pooper. But the coin in the very first post is not a Babylonian issue. The style of Herakles, Zeus and even Zeus's throne all point to a Macedonian issue. Don't forget that symbols like the snake can, and have been, used at more than one mint. So those symbols alone are not necessarily definitive as to mint of origin.

From the OP -
"Similar to Sear 6724, Price 3665 Variant."

Here's the OP coin compared with Price 3665 which is a lifetime Babylon -



OP coin -
- typical Macedonian Herakles style with spiky lion's mane
- throne is of Macedonian mint style
- Zeus's left arm reaches well above his head, Macedonian style

Babylonian Price 3665 -
- typical Babylonian style Herakles with curved lion's mane
- throne is of Babylonian mint style
- the M and monogram below throne are definitive for Babylon

Etc.

 

Very informative tenacious. Thanks

 

I'm really interested in the "etc" if you don't mind helping a little more. Based upon the macedonian styles and the serpent monogram & nothing under the throne, could you determine the mint of my first coin? I really appreciate any corrections you might recommend for the coin label.

 

sorry guys. must be getting lazy. I must admit that I may have had a few last night.

 

My only Babylon mint coin:-

Alexander III The Great, Macedonian Kingdom, 336 - 323 B.C., Lifetime Issue, Silver tetradrachm
Obv:- Head of (Alexander the Great as) Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress knotted at base of neck
Rev:- ALEXANDROU, Zeus seated left, holding eagle in right hand and scepter in left, monogram and M below throne;
Price 3599 (same dies), Müller 67, 17.206g, 25.9mm, 255o, Babylon mint, lifetime issue, c. 325 - 323 B.C.;