Featured Is This What Alexander the Great Looked Like? A Diadochi Tetradrachm

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Curtisimo, Apr 10, 2017.

  1. Ancientnoob

    Ancientnoob Money Changer

    Noted - duuuuurr that's a phat-olmy.
     
    RAGNAROK, Curtisimo and Mikey Zee like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

  4. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Excellent post! Lovely coin.
     
    RAGNAROK, gregarious and Curtisimo like this.
  5. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Alexander wasn't pleased how Antipater ruled Macedonia as a regent, he was asked to come to Babylon to discuss the matter with Alexander. Instead, Antipater send his son Cassander a former classmate of Alexander , Ptolemy , Lysimachos and Hephaestion.
    Soon after Cassander arrived in Babylon , Alexander went ill and died. Cassander went back to Macedonia and seized power after the death of his father in 319 BC
    selfproclaimed king of Macedonia between 305 and 297 BC , after poisoning or executing Alexanders wife Roxann , his 2 sons Alexander the IIII and Hercules , his mother Olympias and everybody else who was in his way.

    P1150444.JPG
     
    Ryro, Puckles, stevex6 and 15 others like this.
  6. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Alexander Lifetime Tet FREED Obv-Rev.jpg
    Makedon
    Alexander III, 336-323 BCE
    AR Tetradrachm (16.86g) (24.1mm)
    Myriandrus mint-Alexandria near Issus
    Lifetime Issue
    Obv: Herakles
    Rev: Zeus, Large Ball Throne
     
    Ryro, Puckles, DBDc80 and 15 others like this.
  7. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

    yeah.. the downside of politics to be sure, but alot of'em did it.
     
    RAGNAROK and Curtisimo like this.
  8. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    great write up!

    i didn't get an alexander iii coin until just last year!

    [​IMG]
     
    Ryro, Puckles, stevex6 and 14 others like this.
  9. Valentinian

    Valentinian Well-Known Member

    In the OP the picture of Alexander from the "Alexander mosaic" shows him with wild hair. Here is what Romans thought Alexander looked like c. 90 BC when Aesillas, a Roman Quaestor, minted in Macedonia.
    aesillas.jpg
    AR 30-27 mm. 16.31 grams.
    wreath enclosing cista (money chest), club, and sela (chair).
    c. 90-70 BC.
    Sear Greek 1439. Bauslaugh SCTAesillasQ obverse die 47, plate 8.
     
    Ryro, Gallienus, Puckles and 16 others like this.
  10. Curtisimo

    Curtisimo the Great(ish)

    lol He reminds me of Isaac Newton in that portrait!

    IMG_4198.JPG

    IMG_4197.JPG
     
    Ryro, chrsmat71, Jwt708 and 5 others like this.
  11. elene

    elene New Member

    [​IMG]
    anyone can help me find out that is it?
     
  12. Collect89

    Collect89 Coin Collector

    Nice coins all. Many are struck in very high relief. It is a wonder that the coin could come out of the die.
    Lysimachus 1 Obv.jpg
    IMG_6639.jpg
    Lysimachus Slab.jpg
    Kings of Thrace,
    Lysimachus, Lampsakos
    AR Tetradrachm
    297-281 BC

    16.77 grams, 29 mm
    Obv: Deified head of Alexander III
    the Great right w/ horn of Ammon
    Rev: Athena seated left with Nike in
    right hand & left arm on shield
    BASILEWS LYSIMAXOY, Torch,
    monogram in left field.
    Grade: VF+ nicely centered & toned.
    Other: This coin depicts a very high relief true portrait of Alexander the Great as issued by Lysimachus. Thompson, Lysimachus, 50; Müller, Lysimacus, 91. From NGC slab 3599374-007, Lot #776 Sedwick Auction #14 October 2013.
     
    Ryro, lordmarcovan, Puckles and 20 others like this.
  13. RAGNAROK

    RAGNAROK Naebody chaws me wi impunitY


    :rolleyes::wideyed:...Curtisimo aka "THE BOSS":)
     
    Curtisimo likes this.
  14. RonSanderson

    RonSanderson Supporter! Supporter

    This seems like the perfect time to ask for help. My wife bought this as a gift at the LCS many years ago. It comes with this attribution:
    Macedonian Drachma
    336-323 B.C.
    Alexander the Great

    Can anyone expand on that information?
    Alexander full 01.gif Alexander obverse 01.JPG Alexander reverse 01.JPG
     
    Ryro, Puckles, paschka and 8 others like this.
  15. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    What a nice gift!

    There are a gazillion drachms and tetradrachms issued by Alexander III and his successors. Definitive attribution can be tough.

    As best as I can tell, the reverse of your drachm has an amphora in the left field and a M-something monogram under the chair, possibly ME (ligate). If that is the case, it was struck in Lampsakos. Here's a more complete attribution:

    KINGS of MACEDON, Antigonos I Monophthalmos
    AR drachm in the name and type of Alexander III of Macedon
    Lampsakos mint; struck circa 310-301 BCE
    Obv: head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress
    Rev: AΛEΞANΔΡOY downward in right field; Zeus Aëtophoros seated left on throne, eagle in outstretched right hand, holding sceptre with left hand; amphora in left field, ME monogram below throne
    Ref: Price 1417

    Some examples from CNG's archives:

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2017
    Ryro, Puckles, icerain and 12 others like this.
  16. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    Wow, what a fantastic thread with some amazingly sweet coins (yummy-yummy!)

    :rolleyes:

    Ummm, I have a couple of humble examples ...


    Ptolemy I, AE20
    Alexander III with elephant skin & Eagle reverse

    Ptolemy I Elephant man.JPG

    Alex-III (The Great, Lifetime), AE19
    Club & Bow

    Alexander Club & Bow.jpg
     
    Puckles, Jwt708, icerain and 11 others like this.
  17. PMONNEY

    PMONNEY Flaminivs

    Indeed, a beauty !
     
  18. PMONNEY

    PMONNEY Flaminivs

    another beauty !
     
  19. DBDc80

    DBDc80 Numismatist

    Nice coin! Gorgeous relief and toning! The write up is intriguing as well! A Lysimachus Tetradrachm is on my must buy list also. The relief in these, and many of the other Alexandrian coinage is simply a thing of wonder! Here is my fat tmp_4701-20170415_205040-1878840699.jpg tmp_4701-20170415_2054401577284625.jpg lifetime from the Amphipolis Mint Circa 336-323 B.C.(Price 5 which i believe is one of his earliest imperial coins). Please excuse the crappy pics....i will take a better photo of this (and other coins) when i free them from the slab.
     
    Ryro, Puckles, Jwt708 and 12 others like this.
  20. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    upload_2017-4-15_20-42-12.png
    Makedon
    Alexander III 336-323 BCE
    AR Obol 7mm 0.51g
    Babylon mint, Lifetime issue
    Obv: Herakles lion skin
    Rev: Club bow quiver wreath M
    Price 3744
     
    Ryro, Puckles, Bing and 6 others like this.
  21. Curtisimo

    Curtisimo the Great(ish)

    Nice tet @DBDc80. I like the dark patina on silver coins and yours has great surfaces as well. Nicely done!
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page