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Research Coins: Electronic Auction

 
418, Lot: 132. Estimate $200.
Sold for $550. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of MACEDON. temp. Antigonos I Monophthalmos – Lysimachos. Circa 310-280 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 16.72 g, 12h). In the name and types of Alexander III. Uncertain mint in western Asia Minor (Sardes?). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; AΣ in left field. Unpublished. VF. Extremely rare.


From the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection, purchased from Freeman & Sear, 17 January 2004.

The AΣ control was commonly used on Alexandrine tetradrachms from Sardes under Seleukos I and Antiochos I, beginning circa 282 BC, after the mint was taken from Lysimachos. The last issue of Alexanders was dated circa 301-297 BC in Price, which changed over to issues of Lysimachos thereafter. As noted by Thompson, it is likely that the Lysimachos types did not continue after he regained the city in 286 (Demetrios Poliorketes had captured it in 287), so this issue may have been struck at the city from 286-282 BC, or even during Demetrios’ short time controlling the city. Nonetheless, the style of the obverse is very similar to issues of Miletos and Magnesia in the early 3rd century, so it is also possibly from either of these mints, though their issues were typically marked with civic badges at that time.