| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 142 Price realized: 9,250 USD (Approx. 8,472 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander I. 498-454 BC. AR Tristater – "Oktadrachm" (29.5mm, 28.30 g, 11h). Light Aeginetic standard. Aigai mint. Struck circa 476/5-460 BC. Horseman, petasos hanging from neck, holding two spears, standing right, behind horse standing right / AΛE-ΞA-NΔ-PO in shallow incuse square around quadripartite square in relief. Raymond Group II, 51 (A10/P13); AMNG III/2, 31 var. (no crescent); HGC 3, 755; BMC 1 (same obv. die); Dewing 1082 (same obv. die); Pozzi 815 (same dies). Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6709090-001, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5. Ex Leu Numismatik AG 3 (27 October 2018), lot 42. By the end of the sixth century BC, the Kingdom of Macedon became an influential regional power, strategically located between the Persian Empire and the city-states of Greece. The wars with Persia further extended Macedon's importance, especially that of its young prince, Alexander I, son of Amyntas. An astute politician, Alexander succeeded to the throne in 498 BC and deftly maneuvered through this precarious situation as the Persians extended their power and influence into Greece proper. Alexander maintained an aloof but cordial relationship with the Persians as they moved through Thrace and Macedon, forcing other tribes to offer earth and water in tribute. At the same time, he worked towards a stronger association with the Greeks, who still regarded Macedon as semi-barbaric. Herodotos (9.44) says that on the eve of the battle at Plataia, Alexander entered the Athenian camp to report that a delay in engaging the Persians would help to further diminish their already low supplies. In return, he hoped the Greeks (in particular the Athenians) would assist him when the time came, thereby forging a relationship between the rising power in the north with the rising Greek city-states of Athens, Sparta and their allies. In 476 BC he was acknowledged as a full-blooded Greek himself and allowed to participate in the Olympic Games of that year. Alexander I was the first Macedonian king to strike coins in his own name and likely made use of the silver mines of Mount Dysoron, which he used his Persian connections to obtain early in his reign. His large silver pieces, such as this splendid example, are denominated as tristaters or oktadrachms on the "heavy Thraco-Macedonian standard," and were evidently intended for trade with the Persians and other Greek states. A lighter weight standard was employed for coins in local situation, a situation which continued down to the time when Macedon became the dominant power in Greece and Asia Minor. Estimate: 10000 USD |  |
Match 1:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 126 | Auction date: 28 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 123 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander I. 498-454 BC. AR Tristater – "Oktadrachm" (30.5mm, 28.43 g). Light Aeginetic standard. Aigai mint. Struck circa 476/5-460 BC. Horseman, wearing chlamys and petasos, and holding two spears, standing right behind horse advancing right / Quadripartite incuse square. Raymond pl. II, 4; AMNG III p. 49, 7 (Bisaltai); HPM pl. XII, 2 (Bisaltai); SNG ANS 1; Athena Fund I 21 (same obv. die); Boston MFA 617 (Bisaltai); Gillet 739; Pozzi 696 = Rhousopoulos 1006 (Bisaltai). Attractive cabinet tone. EF. From the Wild Rose Collection. Ex Triton XXII (8 January 2019), lot 185; Osaka Collection (Hess-Divo 334, 29 May 2018), lot 40, assembled prior to 2000. By the end of the sixth century BC, the Kingdom of Macedon became an influential regional power, strategically located between the Persian Empire and the city-states of Greece. The wars with Persia further extended Macedon's importance, especially that of its young prince, Alexander I, the son of Amyntas. An astute politician, Alexander deftly maneuvered through this precarious situation. Although he early on offered his sister's hand in marriage to a Persian to offset punishment for his revenge against the high handedness of a Persian embassy in 514-513 BC, Alexander maintained an aloof but cordial relationship with the Persians as they moved through the region in 492 BC, forcing the other tribes to Medize. At the same time, he worked towards a stronger association with the Greeks. Herodotos (9.44) says that on the eve of the battle at Plataia, Alexander entered the Athenian camp to report that a delay in engaging the Persians would help to further diminish their already low supplies. In return, he hoped the Greeks (in particular the Athenians) would assist him when the time came, thereby forging a relationship between the rising power in the north with the rising Greek city-states of Athens, Sparta and their allies. This coin type had long been ascribed to the Bisaltai, one of the powerful Thraco-Macedonian tribes that struck coinage in the late 6th and early 5th centuries. The weight of the evidence now points to it being the earliest issue of Alexander I, when he was allied with the tribes against the Persians; he presumably struck coins with types that were acceptable to his allies and would, in fact, symbolize their alliance. For a discussion of the weight standard of this issue, see S. Psoma, "Did the So-Called Thraco-Macedonian Standard Exist?" in KAIPOΣ, pp. 167–90. Estimate: 10000 USD |  |
Match 2:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 15 | Auction date: 1 June 2024 |
| Lot number: 50 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
| Lot description: KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander I (?), 498-454 BC. Tristater or Oktadrachm (Silver, 30 mm, 29.47 g), circa 480s-470s BC. Horseman, wearing chlamys and petasos, holding two javelins and walking slowly to right behind bridled horse standing right, left foreleg raised; on the flank of the horse, symbol or monogram (?). Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. AMNG III, p. 49, 6 ('Bisaltai'). S. Brackmann: Alexandros I. oder Bisaltai, in: JNG 65 (2015), pp. 1-8. HGC 3.1, 753. Peykov A3020 ('Bisaltai'). Raymond pl. II, 5. SNG ANS 1. SNG Lockett 1266 ('Bisaltai'). Svoronos, HPM, pl. XII, 6 ('Bisaltai'). Tzamalis, Ethné, Groupe B.2., 129 and pl. 28, 129 (this coin, D51/R52). Very rare. A beautifully toned and unusually well struck example with a fine pedigree. Minor doubling on the obverse and with light scratches on the reverse, otherwise, very fine. Ex Classical Numismatic Auctions 1, 1 May 1987, 30, Sternberg XIV, 24-25 May 1984, 65, Leu 28, 5 May 1981, 72 and Münzen & Medaillen AG XIX, 5 June 1959, 384 ('Magnifique example d'art archaïque, rustique et spontané. D'une grande rareté.'). Given that both the Bisaltai and Alexander I issued this type with the addition of an ethnikon or royal name, the attribution of anonymous pieces like ours remains contentious. Brackmann highlighted reverse die links to pieces bearing the name of the Bisaltai tribe, yet this merely suggests that the coins were produced in the same mint, not that they were issued by and for the Bisaltai, as he himself admits. Many scholars perceive the lack of inscription as suggesting an early production date for the coins. However, it is possible that these coins represent alliance coinages between the Macedonian King and the tribal community, with deliberate omission of names for political expediency. We have adopted the more common attribution to Alexander I here, albeit with a lingering question mark since consensus regarding their origin has yet to be reached. What remains undeniable, however, is that these impressive large silver coins - whether tristaters or oktadrachms - fit well within the broader context of minting large silver denominations in the Thracian-Macedonian region, as previously discussed in the commentary on lot number 40 above. Estimate: 7500 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Eid Mar Auctions GmbH > Auction 2 | Auction date: 10 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 41 Price realized: 140 EUR (Approx. 151 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Greek Kings of Macedon. Alexander I 498-454 BC. AR Tetrobol (14mm, 1.67 g.). Light standard. Aigai mint. Struck circa 480/79-477/6 BC. Horse stepping right. Rev. Helmet right in linear square within shallow incuse square. Raymond Group IV, Series 1; HGC 3, 774. Slightly irregular flan, otherwise about Good Very Fine, high quality silver. Scarce. Estimate: 100 EUR Starting price: 80 EUR |  |
Match 4:
| Eid Mar Auctions GmbH > Auction 3 | Auction date: 11 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 47 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
| Lot description: Greek Kings of Macedon. Alexander I 498-454 BC. AR Tetrobol (14mm, 1,7 g.). Light standard. Aigai mint. Struck circa 480/79-477/6 BC. Horse stepping right. Rev. Helmet right in linear square within shallow incuse square. Raymond Group IV, Series 1; HGC 3, 774. Nicely toned and about Good Very Fine. Scarce. Estimate: 50 EUR Starting price: 40 EUR |  |
Match 5:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 793 Price realized: 6,500 CHF (Approx. 7,389 USD / 6,862 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander I, 498-454 BC. Oktadrachm (Silver, 33 mm, 28.68 g, 10 h), circa 479-475. Horseman, wearing chlamys and petasos, holding two javelins and walking slowly to right behind bridled horse standing right; to upper left, crescent; on the flank of the horse, kerykeion brand. Rev. AΛE-ΝA-NΔ-PO around quadripartite square in relief; all within rectangular incuse. Asyut 152. Raymond group II, 54. SNG ANS 23. Very rare. An impressive piece of vigorous late Archaic style. Numerous light marks and the obverse a bit weak and with very minor die rust, otherwise, very fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. Influenced by the longstanding hostilities between the Macedonian Kings and Athens in the late 5th and 4th centuries, Greek commentators often stressed the alleged barbarism of the Macedonians, who lived in and around the Macedonian plain in Northern Greece and spoke a related Greek dialect. The earliest references to the Macedonian Kingdom, however, come from Herodotus, from whom we learn that the claim of Alexander I to be a descendant of Herakles and the Argives was accepted by a court of Elean hellanodikai possibly as early as 504 BC, which allowed him to participate (and win), as a Greek, in the Panhellenic Olympic Games. Alexander's father Amyntas I had been a vassal of the Persians since the advance of Dareios I to Europe in 512/1 BC, and his son and successor carefully maneuvered between the superpower Persia and the Greek city states in the South. The accounts given by Herodotus on his actions are rather confusing, but it appears that Alexander, while formally fulfilling his duties as a Persian vassal, secretly sided with the Greeks on several occasions, providing them with valuable information about the Persian's plans and movements - although it is unclear to what extent these stories are later extenuations. In 479 BC, Alexander personally spoke as an ambassador of the Persian commander Mardonius to the Athenians to win them over to the Great King's side, but he openly defected to the Greeks after Pausanias' resounding victory at Plataia and defeated the remaining Persian forces at the Strymon river during their retreat to Thrace. Little is known about Alexander's activities after the Persian invasion of 480/79 BC, but Herodotus mentions, en passant, that a gold statue of the Macedonian King was standing in Delphi in his day (Hdt. 8.121), which undoubtedly boasted Alexander's role in the defeat of the Persian invaders in front of a Panhellenic audience at a time when Medismos had long become a serious political accusation. It is likely that Alexander expanded the boundaries of his realm following the retreat of the Persians, and he also became the first Macedonian King to strike his own coinage. Our example belongs to Raymond's group II, which she dated to 476/5-460 BC, but the emergence of a related oktadrachm in the Asyut hoard, burried around 475 BC, strongly speaks for a somewhat earlier date. These heavy coins were struck to the Phoenician weight standard and they were likely intended for tribute payments and 'international' trade. Most of them winded up travelling east, where they were, as the common practice of cutting them to smaller pieces ('Hacksilber') shows, usually treated as bullion. As a consequence, finding unworn and unbattered examples is very rare today and this sharply struck piece is, thus, a remarkable exception to the rule and a fine example of the earliest coinage struck by the Macedonian Kings. Starting price: 2500 CHF |  |
