Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3063 16-17 Jan 2018
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MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR tetradrachm (16.92 gm). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5. Late lifetime or posthumous issue of Pella, ca. 325-315 BC. Head of Heracles right, wearing lion skin headdress / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated left, holding eagle in right hand and dotted scepter in left hand, no other symbols, letters or control marks. Price 217. Evidently extremely rare, with no other properly catalogued examples having shown up at auction for the past decade!
Alexander tetradrachms that show no control symbol or letters other than the basic coin types are surprisingly rare and scant in the academic references. Price lists only 10 different issues with no control marks out of more than 2,000 different varieties of tetradrachm; most of these are not close to this example in style or fabric. The closest match would seem to be Price 217, attributed to Pella circa 325-315 BC. A search of auction archives shows only one other tetradrachm of this Price number has been offered at auction since 2000; however, this coin is almost certainly a misattributed Price 2999 (Tarsus), where the hand of Zeus holding the eagle is turned sideways, instead of held out flat as seen here and on the example of 217 illustrated in Price. Furthermore the plated version of 217 is in relatively poor condition, with a countermark on the chin of Heracles, whereas the present example is essentially flawless and merits a Choice AU designation from NGC.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 1000-1300 USD
MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR tetradrachm (16.92 gm). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5. Late lifetime or posthumous issue of Pella, ca. 325-315 BC. Head of Heracles right, wearing lion skin headdress / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated left, holding eagle in right hand and dotted scepter in left hand, no other symbols, letters or control marks. Price 217. Evidently extremely rare, with no other properly catalogued examples having shown up at auction for the past decade!
Alexander tetradrachms that show no control symbol or letters other than the basic coin types are surprisingly rare and scant in the academic references. Price lists only 10 different issues with no control marks out of more than 2,000 different varieties of tetradrachm; most of these are not close to this example in style or fabric. The closest match would seem to be Price 217, attributed to Pella circa 325-315 BC. A search of auction archives shows only one other tetradrachm of this Price number has been offered at auction since 2000; however, this coin is almost certainly a misattributed Price 2999 (Tarsus), where the hand of Zeus holding the eagle is turned sideways, instead of held out flat as seen here and on the example of 217 illustrated in Price. Furthermore the plated version of 217 is in relatively poor condition, with a countermark on the chin of Heracles, whereas the present example is essentially flawless and merits a Choice AU designation from NGC.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 1000-1300 USD