Persia was full of wealths. Alexander the Great managed to gather in Ecbatana in 331BC a huge war treasure consisting of silver seized in Persepolis, Susa and Pasargadae for an estimated total of 180,000 talents. The talent, unit of weight applied in antique Greece for the silver, is equivalent to 25.86 Kg. It is worth 6,000 drachms.
The conqueror is loved by his troops. It is easy to understand why: he has no difficulty to pay them. The production of drachms and tetradrachms is operating at full capacity in Ecbatana and Babylon. A soldier earns about 1 drachm per day. The premium granted to a man retiring to Greece is 6,000 drachms.
The highest denomination of silver coinage is the decadrachm whose use was probably limited to presentation coins. The high relief decadrachm with the effigy of Hercules could date from the later years of Alexander's reign between 325BC and 323BC although a posthumous strike cannot be excluded.
On one side, the head of Hercules in close view bears as headdress the skin of the Nemean lion. This is the very artistic portrait of a young man, which is surprising in the iconography of Hercules. The engraver had paid attention to the young age of Alexander and also tricked Hercules with the anastole, the hair swept back from the parting in the center in the fashion of his king.
The other side is inscribed with the name of Alexander, AΛEΞANΔPOY, and shows Zeus sitting on a throne and holding the eagle at the end of his extended arm.
This large coin 35 mm in diameter is extremely rare although the discovery of a hoard of early Seleucid period in 1973 increased its population to nearly 20 units.
One of them weighing 41.98 g was sold for € 325K before fees by Art Coins Roma on 3 February 2014. It is considered by the catalog of the sale as the finest example. Another one weighing 42.28 g and coming from the 1973 hoard was sold for $ 250K before fees by Baldwin's on January 4, 2012.
Another example weighing 41.22 g is estimated $ 200K for sale by Heritage in New York on January 4, lot 31020.
unsold
The conqueror is loved by his troops. It is easy to understand why: he has no difficulty to pay them. The production of drachms and tetradrachms is operating at full capacity in Ecbatana and Babylon. A soldier earns about 1 drachm per day. The premium granted to a man retiring to Greece is 6,000 drachms.
The highest denomination of silver coinage is the decadrachm whose use was probably limited to presentation coins. The high relief decadrachm with the effigy of Hercules could date from the later years of Alexander's reign between 325BC and 323BC although a posthumous strike cannot be excluded.
On one side, the head of Hercules in close view bears as headdress the skin of the Nemean lion. This is the very artistic portrait of a young man, which is surprising in the iconography of Hercules. The engraver had paid attention to the young age of Alexander and also tricked Hercules with the anastole, the hair swept back from the parting in the center in the fashion of his king.
The other side is inscribed with the name of Alexander, AΛEΞANΔPOY, and shows Zeus sitting on a throne and holding the eagle at the end of his extended arm.
This large coin 35 mm in diameter is extremely rare although the discovery of a hoard of early Seleucid period in 1973 increased its population to nearly 20 units.
One of them weighing 41.98 g was sold for € 325K before fees by Art Coins Roma on 3 February 2014. It is considered by the catalog of the sale as the finest example. Another one weighing 42.28 g and coming from the 1973 hoard was sold for $ 250K before fees by Baldwin's on January 4, 2012.
Another example weighing 41.22 g is estimated $ 200K for sale by Heritage in New York on January 4, lot 31020.
unsold
Alexander the Great silver coin to make $300,000? https://t.co/nNF8bitjxL pic.twitter.com/K3jyfZp1Gm
— Paul Fraser (@PFCollectibles) December 22, 2015
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