KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III.336-323 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.99 gm, 11h). Tyre mint. Struck under Demetrios Poliorketes, circa 301-286 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress /
ALEXANDROU, Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; monogram in left field and below throne. Price 3538 var. (monogram below throne); Hersh, Tyrus 28 corr. (obv. VII); Müller 1595 var. (same). Choice EF. Struck in high relief on a wide flan. Extremely rare variety; Hersh only located a single specimen with these monograms.
In his article on the Alexander coinage of the Tyre mint, Hersh failed to notice that many of the monograms he identified as his monogram type 22 are actually varieties of that monogram. The type 22 monogram has the central vertical line passing behind the delta in the center, whereas the variety has the vertical line passing over it. For illustration, compare his plated examples for coins 19 and 28.
This particular coin has an interesting die error. Apparently, the engraver of the reverse die originally wrote the rho in Alexander's name after the nu, then realized his error and engraved the delta over it!
