MACEDON. Koinon of Macedon. Pseudo-autonomous issue, temp. Gordian III. A.D. 238-244. Æ. 11.95 gm. 25 mm. Beroea mint. Diademed head of Alexander the Great right; AΛEΞANΔPOC / Two prize urns, each containing palm frond, set upon agonistic table with decorated legs; urn set on ground under table; KOI MAKEΔONΩN B N EΩKO around. AMNG 461. Good Very Fine; well centered and well struck; pleasing green patina; bold attractive portrait of Alexander. Unusual and rare obverse inscription for this series.

This coin commemorates the games held in Beroea that honored Alexander and had Olympic status, and is an important type.The Koinon of the Macedonians was a confederation of Macedonian cities under a central government or king (or, under Roman rule, the Roman emperor). Rooted in the Hellenistic period, this central administration handled diplomatic issues both between member city-states and with foreign bodies. Coins issued in the name of the 'Macedonians' first appear during the reigns of Philip V and Perseus, and continued to appear under Roman rule. The Romans reorganized the Koinon around the imperial cult and put members of the local elite in charge. They organized and financed festivals and games, and were awarded Roman citizenship in return. The iconography of the Koinon issues (Alexander the Great, the Macedonian shield, and so on) reflect a powerful ethnic and civic identity that, as it was no longer a threat to Roman control, was allowed to flourish. (Howgego, Christopher; Heuchert, Volker; Burnett, Andrew, Coinage and Identity in the Roman Provinces. 2005.)