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NYINC Signature Sale 3081 12-13 Jan 2020
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Ancients
MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR decadrachm (35mm, 39.61 gm, 10h). NGC XF 5/5 - 2/5, Fine Style. Babylon, 325-323 BC. Head of Heracles right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied before neck / AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus seated left on throne with high back, left leg drawn back, feet on stool, eagle in right hand, scepter in left; bee seen from above in left field, monogram in the form of trident head above M below throne. Price 3618A. HGC 3.1, 909. Müller --. Mnemata: Papers in Memory of Nancy M. Waggoner (1989), p. 69, 8 and pl. 15. Extremely rare.
Ex Heritage Auction 3061 (NYINC, 7 January 2018), lot 32022.
Alexander's conquests "liberated" tons of gold and silver that had been locked away for centuries in the Great King's treasuries in Sardes, Susa, Persepolis and Babylon. Mint masters soon set to work turning this huge haul into coins, which were paid out to Alexander's soldiers and high officials in staggering quantities. However, the silver decadrachm denomination, worth 10 Attic drachms and 2.5 tetradrachms, was struck in limited numbers, indicating they were presentation pieces intended for only the top tier of Macedonian officers. Only three decadrachm reverse varieties are known. Their extreme rarity -- today perhaps 25-30 examples are known to have survived -- makes it highly likely that these pieces were handed out by Alexander himself at a special ceremony, perhaps the one recorded at Susa in 324 BC, where the great conqueror assembled his army and distributed up to 20,000 talents to his Macedonian veterans. The bidder on this piece thus has an opportunity to acquire a coin that, with a high degree of likelihood, could have passed through the hands of Alexander the Great.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-macedonian-kingdom-alexander-iii-the-great-336-323-bc-ar-decadrachm-35mm-3961-gm-10h-ngc-xf-5-5-/a/3081-32009.s?type=CoinArchives3081
HID02906262019
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 20000-30000 USD
MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR decadrachm (35mm, 39.61 gm, 10h). NGC XF 5/5 - 2/5, Fine Style. Babylon, 325-323 BC. Head of Heracles right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied before neck / AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus seated left on throne with high back, left leg drawn back, feet on stool, eagle in right hand, scepter in left; bee seen from above in left field, monogram in the form of trident head above M below throne. Price 3618A. HGC 3.1, 909. Müller --. Mnemata: Papers in Memory of Nancy M. Waggoner (1989), p. 69, 8 and pl. 15. Extremely rare.
Ex Heritage Auction 3061 (NYINC, 7 January 2018), lot 32022.
Alexander's conquests "liberated" tons of gold and silver that had been locked away for centuries in the Great King's treasuries in Sardes, Susa, Persepolis and Babylon. Mint masters soon set to work turning this huge haul into coins, which were paid out to Alexander's soldiers and high officials in staggering quantities. However, the silver decadrachm denomination, worth 10 Attic drachms and 2.5 tetradrachms, was struck in limited numbers, indicating they were presentation pieces intended for only the top tier of Macedonian officers. Only three decadrachm reverse varieties are known. Their extreme rarity -- today perhaps 25-30 examples are known to have survived -- makes it highly likely that these pieces were handed out by Alexander himself at a special ceremony, perhaps the one recorded at Susa in 324 BC, where the great conqueror assembled his army and distributed up to 20,000 talents to his Macedonian veterans. The bidder on this piece thus has an opportunity to acquire a coin that, with a high degree of likelihood, could have passed through the hands of Alexander the Great.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-macedonian-kingdom-alexander-iii-the-great-336-323-bc-ar-decadrachm-35mm-3961-gm-10h-ngc-xf-5-5-/a/3081-32009.s?type=CoinArchives3081
HID02906262019
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 20000-30000 USD