Saturday the 4th of November 2023 was, aside from being the eve of Bonfire night/Guy Fawkes night (some might say one of very few men to enter Parliament with direct, clear-cut and true intentions on that fateful day in 1605), the day of the London Coin Fair. So, I traipsed along merrily having roused myself at 5am to catch the train down. On arriving in London a large coffee and a bacon sandwich slathered with ketchup put the world to rights, and by 8:30am I was perusing the various dealer's tables with mind to spend a little money. Amongst a few other things, I was pleased to find this posthumous tetradrachm in the name of Alexander at a very reasonable price. Since getting back into ancients having dispersed my boyhood collection some years hence, it has been my goal to acquire one of these coins. To my mind - they are simply brilliant and tick so many of the things that appeal to me in this particular field of numismatics, having beautiful designs struck in high relief on chunky flans. In addition to this, they are academically interesting - the sophisticated mint organisation across Alexander's empire (and indeed, into the disparate realms of the Diadochi as it fragmented) is mind boggling to me given the vast distances involved. This piece was purchased unidentified, but I believe I have pinned it down correctly. This being said, I would welcome any input from those more experienced. Please excuse the less than stellar mobile phone images. Posthumous tetradrachm struck under Seleucos in the name of Alexander, probably c. 311-305 BC. Mint of Babylon. Obverse: head of Alexander/Herakles right wearing lionskin. Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ [Α]ΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus enthroned left holding sceptre in left hand, eagle on outstretched right hand. Control marks MI/Crescent in left field, monogram in wreath between legs of throne. Test cut at 12 o'clock on obverse. Weight: 17.15g. Price 3756.
Bacon and ketchup in a bap is a close second for my favourite breakfast sandwich. Usually I'm a black pudding and egg kind of bloke, though I actually prefer haggis if I can get it.
I like your story as well and have no preference regarding the bacon sandwich. The attribution looks correct but then again I don't collect Alexander, or his descendants, coins as they are a vast category unto themself. The only Alexander coin I own is an Alexander III drachm I purchased on a whim. Actually I think I purchased it because his nose was cut off.
Fried eggs and bacon for breakfast are a major contribution of Great Britain to civilization. But just thinking of the industrial reddish sweet slime they dare to call ketchup (which was an Indian speciality in the first place) almost makes me puke. That's like those typically British wonderful and delicious bowls of mixed berries, well... delicious until somebody has the disastrous idea of pouring on it that horrendous kind of disgusting industrial sweet substance which tastes like medicine, I just don't want to remember the name they give it. er... Oh, yes, Alexander ! sorry... I love that coin, its wonderful portrait of Alexander in a style typical of the Babylon mint. I think it's the test cut that made it affordable. Smart acquisition ! Here is my posthumous Alexander. I bought it not in London but in some antique shop of Damascus old city, near Bab Sharqi. Memories of days gone by, when you could go to Syria, freely visit the country (the dreadful regime police annoyed only the nationals, not the western foreigners), walk the narrow streets of Damascus old city, bargain for nice ancient coins in Arabic, English or French (depended where the guy had been to school), end the afternoon at Ghraoui's who made the most orgasmic candied apples, pears, apricots I ever tasted. The true blessing was candied apricot stuffed with pistachios and all covered with black chocolate... Apricots originate from Damascus, did you know that? But the old Ghraoui retired or passed away, his son had attended some Western business school and turned his father's craft business into a prosperous company with shops in Budapest, Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Candied fruits no longer taste the same as before, too sweet IMO, but still good... Excuse me? Alexander? Oh, yes, Alexander !!! Alexander the Great tetradrachm, Sardis, BC 319-315. Obv.: head of Alexander/Herakles right wearing lion-skin Rev.: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated left holding vertical sceptre and eagle, in left field monogram Price 1256 above 8-pointed star. Price 2664. Same obv. die as ANS 1944.100.31357
