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Included on this page are coins minted by Alexander the Great, coins minted in his style and his name after his death (posthumous Alexanders), and coins minted after his death depicting his portrait. All of the coins here have an unconditional guarantee of authenticity. They were obtained from reliable sources, and nothing about their style, fabric, weight, size, or toning raises any questions about their authenticity. But in the unlikely event that any one of them is shown to be a forgery at any point, I'd be happy to refund the coin's purchase price (most reliable ancient coin dealers offer, or should offer, a similar authenticity guarantee). For more information on counterfeit detection, see my page "Counterfeit Coin Primer." All of the coins illustrated on this page are stored off site. |
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Alexander the Great lifetime tetradrachm from Amphipolis, Macedonia, 17.0g, c. 336-323 BC, M.J. Price 89, Troxell E7. VF. Obverse: Herakles (Hercules) in lion skin headdress, Reverse: Open-leg Zeus seated on throne holding eagle and scepter, crescent, "Of Alexander." This coin was minted in Alexander's homeland of Macedonia, and it was minted during his lifetime. Besides Amphipolis, Alexander minted coins from 25 other mints in all. $290. |
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Alexander the Great possible lifetime tetradrachm from Byblos, Phoenicia, 17.0g, c. 330-320 BC, M.J. Price 3426. aEF with minor surface porosity. Obverse: Herakles (Hercules) in lion skin headdress, Reverse: Close-leg Zeus seated on throne holding eagle and scepter, "Of Alexander," monogram stands for King Adramelek, a Phoenician ruler. This variety was minted both during and shortly after Alexander's lifetime. This specimen is particularly well styled, with a beautiful rendering of both Herakles and Zeus. Byblos is believed to have been the first city of the Phoenicians and where an alphabetic phonetic script was first developed, which grew into today's modern alphabets. The city got its name from the ancient Greek word for papyrus, bublos (which today means "book"), because papyrus was delivered to the Greeks from Egypt via the port of Byblos. $380. |
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Alexander the Great tetradrachm from Odessos, Thrace, 16.4g, c. 280-225 BC, M.J. Price 1151. gVF. Obverse: Herakles (Hercules) in lion skin headdress, Reverse: Close-leg Zeus seated on throne holding eagle and scepter, "Of Alexander." $280. |
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Alexander the Great tetradrachm from Mesembria, Thrace, 15.8g, c. 125-65 BC, M.J. Price 1129. VF. Obverse: Herakles (Hercules) in lion skin headdress, Reverse: Close-leg Zeus seated on throne holding eagle and scepter, "Of King Alexander," "Of the Mesembrians." Among the very last of the coins minted in the name of Alexander the Great, more than two hundred years after they were initiated. Wide flan (33mm) and nicely toned. $210. |
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Lysimachos Alexander-portrait silver tetradrachm 16.8g, c. 288-281 BC, Sear 6814v. aEF. The obverse depicts Alexander the Great wearing a horn of Ammon (ram's horn, symbolic of the Greco-Egyptian composite god Zeus-Ammon) and diadem (headband of cloth and ivy leaves worn as a sign of royalty). The reverse depicts Athena sitting on a backless throne and wearing a chiton (tunic), peplos (robe), and crested Corinthian helmet. She's holding in her right hand Nike, who's crowning Lysimachos' name with a laurel wreath. In her left hand she's holding a lance, with her left arm resting on a shield that has at its center an image of lion's head. The inscription translates into "Of King Lysimachos." Coins of Lysimachos are widely considered to feature the most compelling portrait of Alexander the Great on coinage. $610. |
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Lysimachos Alexander-portrait silver tetradrachm from Lampsakos, Mysia c. 288-281 BC, 15.2g, Sear 6814v., Thompson 43. VF with some surface roughness. The obverse depicts Alexander the Great wearing a horn of Ammon (ram's horn, symbolic of the Greco-Egyptian composite god Zeus-Ammon) and diadem (headband of cloth and ivy leaves worn as a sign of royalty). The reverse depicts Athena sitting on a backless throne and wearing a chiton (tunic), peplos (robe), and crested Corinthian helmet. She's holding in her right hand Nike, who's crowning Lysimachos' name with a laurel wreath. In her left hand she's holding a lance, with her left arm resting on a shield that has at its center an image of lion's head. The inscription translates into "Of King Lysimachos." Coins of Lysimachos are widely considered to feature the most compelling portrait of Alexander the Great on coinage, and varieties minted in Lampsakos and Pergamon are considered the most stylish. $400. |
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Ptolemy I Alexander-portrait silver tetradrachm c. 310-305 BC, 13.9g, Sear 7749v. aVF with some surface roughness. The obverse depicts Alexander the Great wearing an elephant skin headdress, including tusk and trunk (the elephant imagery symbolized eternity and commemorated Alexander's victories in India), a horn of Ammon, and a diadem, with an aegis (cloak) of Zeus around his neck. The reverse depicts Athena Alkidemos wearing a crested Corinthian helmet, peplos, and mantle. She's carrying a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. In the reverse right field, the eagle standing on a thunderbolt, symbolic of Zeus, was a personal device of Ptolemy I and was later used as the main reverse device on most Ptolemaic coinage. The Macedonian helmet in the reverse left field and symbol above it are mint control marks. The inscription translates into "Of Alexander." Coins of Ptolemy I feature the very first portraits of Alexander the Great on coinage. $380. |
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