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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Mikey Zee, post: 2869569, member: 72818&quot;]Of course, this is a highly personal and subjective decision and many of us probably consider this to be merely over-paying for a coin, yet those focusing within a particular niche---specialist or not---or those who simply must have a particular coin, might view it as well worth the cost. This &#039;ruggedly handsome&#039; tetradrachm of&nbsp; Alexander III is my most recent candidate. It was offered at auction with an &#039;estimate&#039; of $300, yet to me it was an attractive lifetime issue worth at least $400-$500. My initial maximum held up until the last day when it was exceeded by a bid of $505.00 and I resigned myself to losing it at that level. But, less than an hour before closing, I reconsidered and placed another maximum, regaining the lead at $555.00, which held as the last second ticked off and the lot was declared CLOSED. However, a few moments later, I received a &#039;winning e-mail notice&#039; indicating a &#039;snipping bid&#039; managed to sneak in raising the cost precisely to my maximum of $605.00.<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie9" alt=":eek:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Why was I willing to exceed my initial maximum? Well, I saw a remarkably well-centered coin with terrific details and I loved the attractive toning. Naturally, I had hoped my winning bid would fall between the estimate and my initial maximum, especially considering the areas of surface &#039;roughness&#039;, but I also placed a special significance to the &#039;<b>B&#039;</b> beneath the&nbsp; throne and decided it was worth about $600 to me. Perhaps, the following combined excerpt says it best:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Passing virtually unopposed through the Cilician Gates, Alexander entered Tarsos, the capital of the satrapy of Cilicia, in the summer of 333 BC, and, from August-October of that year, the city served as both a strategic and financial base of his eastward military operations. This coin was part of the <b>first issue</b> of Alexander&#039;s coinage, and was struck at Tarsos very shortly after that city&#039;s liberation from Achaemenid domination. The first series of Tarsos had not only the distinction of being the very first issue of what we now call the Alexandrine coinage---the engravers working at Tarsos immediately re-tasked to producing Alexandrine coinage without any great break in production---but was also the first of what would soon be many liberated Achaemenid cities to strike coinage in the name of Alexander. Price demonstrates conclusively that the dies produced at Tarsos bearing <b>BA</b> as well as simply <b>B</b> refer to Balakros, son of Nikanor, who was one of Alexander&#039;s somatophylakes (bodyguards) and was appointed satrap of Cilicia after the Battle of Issos in 333 BC. He enacted many new fiscal measures in Alexander&#039;s name, and served Alexander loyally until his death circa 324 BC while leading an expedition against a revolt in Pisidia.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>In short, I felt that a &#039;first strike&#039; issue of a series that would continue to be struck from numerous mints for nearly 300 years was well worth a &#039;premium&#039;, especially a high-grade, &#039;life-time&#039; tetradrachm with considerable eye-appeal.<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I hope you will find this topic interesting enough to share any coin you felt was well worth the additional cost.....and the reasons why you did <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie102" alt=":writer:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Macedonian Kingdom. Alexander III &#039;the Great&#039;. 336-323 B.C. AR tetradrachm (25 mm, 17.16 g, 1 h). Tarsos, lifetime issue, ca 333-327 B.C. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion&#039;s skin headdress / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated left, holding eagle and scepter; below throne, B. Price 3000. Area of slight roughness above head of Herakles. Nicely toned. Extremely fine.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]685420[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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