MACEDON. Koinon of Macedon. Pseudo-autonomous issue, temp. Gordian III or Philip I. A.D. 238-249. Æ. 14.1 gm. 26 mm. Beroea mint. Dated year 275 of the Actian Era (A.D. 244). Head of Alexander the Great right, wearing crested Attic helmet with griffin on bowl; AΛEΞANΔPOY / Lion advancing right; above, club to left and EOC (date); KOINON MAKEΔONΩN B NEΩK. AMNG 852. Good Very Fine; bold compelling portrait of Alexander; well centered and appealing reverse type showing lion and club; smooth green patina.

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.)