Bertolami Fine Art
Auction 8 3 February 2014
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Kings of Macedonia, Alexander III, 336-323 and posthumous issues, Decadrachm, "Babylon", c. 325-323 BC; AR (g 41,98; mm 36; h 9); Head of Herakles r., wearing leonté; dotted border. Rv. AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus seated l. on a throne with backrest ending with perched eagles, holding eagle and sceptre; below the throne, monogram over M, dotted border.
Price 3600; Mitchiner 1975, 1b;. Müller -.
Of the highest rarity with unpublished dies, struck in high relief and finest specimen known with an attractive old cabinet tone. Good extremely fine / Extremely fine.
Privately purchased from Spink & Son, London.
Until now only seven decadrachms of Alexander III have been recorded: one in Berlin (= Kraay-Hirmer 572), another in the British Museum (= Price 3598) and at least five from the "Near Babylon Hoard" (= Coin Hoards 1975, p. 14, 38, of which one example appeared in Leu sale 13, 1975, lot 129, our example, purchased from Spink and another in the NAC sale 72, 2013, 344). All these coins must have been issued in c. 325-323 BC together with numerous staters and tetradrachmae at Ekbatana, to which in 331 the bulk of the treasure of 180,000 talents (= 1,080 million drachmae) had been brought from Persepolis, Susa and Pasagardae. The most comprehensive review of these issues was made by Michael Mitchiner (M. Mitchiner 1975, "The Early Indo- Greek Coins and their Antecedents I", London), Martin Jesop Price (M. J. Price 1989, "Circulation at Babylon in 323 BC", in Mnemata : Papers in Memory of Nancy M. Waggoner) and later in the monumental work of 1991 (M. J. Price 1991, "The Coinage in the name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus", London). Despite the studies on the Macedonian coinage, doubts remain about the place of production of these rare speci- mens. The most convincing and accepted hypothesis is proposed by Martin Price, who argues that the decadrachms were coined at Ekbatana for of Babylon, a theory supported by the presence of the same symbols on Alexander's deacadrachms and on staters issued by Mazaeus, satrap of Babylon in 331 BC. Overall, the decadrachms main- tain the same iconography adopted in silver coinage: on obverse there is the head of Herakles covered with the skin of the Nemean lion (the leonté), iconographic attribute given to the hero after f inishing his f irst effort. The reverse depicts Zeus seated on a throne and holding the sceptre and eagle, his totemic animal. Of all the Alexander III's coinage, the decadrachms definitely reach the highest artistic quality as can be seen in the reliefs of the face and in the anatomical details or in the throne, these elements are much more pronounced and defined than those found on tetradrachms or fractions.
Price 3600; Mitchiner 1975, 1b;. Müller -.
Of the highest rarity with unpublished dies, struck in high relief and finest specimen known with an attractive old cabinet tone. Good extremely fine / Extremely fine.
Privately purchased from Spink & Son, London.
Until now only seven decadrachms of Alexander III have been recorded: one in Berlin (= Kraay-Hirmer 572), another in the British Museum (= Price 3598) and at least five from the "Near Babylon Hoard" (= Coin Hoards 1975, p. 14, 38, of which one example appeared in Leu sale 13, 1975, lot 129, our example, purchased from Spink and another in the NAC sale 72, 2013, 344). All these coins must have been issued in c. 325-323 BC together with numerous staters and tetradrachmae at Ekbatana, to which in 331 the bulk of the treasure of 180,000 talents (= 1,080 million drachmae) had been brought from Persepolis, Susa and Pasagardae. The most comprehensive review of these issues was made by Michael Mitchiner (M. Mitchiner 1975, "The Early Indo- Greek Coins and their Antecedents I", London), Martin Jesop Price (M. J. Price 1989, "Circulation at Babylon in 323 BC", in Mnemata : Papers in Memory of Nancy M. Waggoner) and later in the monumental work of 1991 (M. J. Price 1991, "The Coinage in the name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus", London). Despite the studies on the Macedonian coinage, doubts remain about the place of production of these rare speci- mens. The most convincing and accepted hypothesis is proposed by Martin Price, who argues that the decadrachms were coined at Ekbatana for of Babylon, a theory supported by the presence of the same symbols on Alexander's deacadrachms and on staters issued by Mazaeus, satrap of Babylon in 331 BC. Overall, the decadrachms main- tain the same iconography adopted in silver coinage: on obverse there is the head of Herakles covered with the skin of the Nemean lion (the leonté), iconographic attribute given to the hero after f inishing his f irst effort. The reverse depicts Zeus seated on a throne and holding the sceptre and eagle, his totemic animal. Of all the Alexander III's coinage, the decadrachms definitely reach the highest artistic quality as can be seen in the reliefs of the face and in the anatomical details or in the throne, these elements are much more pronounced and defined than those found on tetradrachms or fractions.