| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 187 | Silver | Auction date: 10 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 25 Price realized: 850 EUR (Approx. 917 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Kings of Thrace. Alexandria Troas. Macedonian. Lysimachos 305-281 BC. Tetradrachm AR 26 mm, 17,05 g Diademed head of deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΛYΣIMAXOY, Athena Nikephoros seated to left on throne, leaning her left elbow on her shield decorated with lion's head and holding Nike, crowning the king's name, in her right; ME monogram to left; ΘΕ monogram on throne. Very Fine, scratch and chip at edge on revers Thompson 156-8. "Alexander already appears to us as a god on these coins; The ram's horn that he wears over the royal armband (the diadem) clearly identifies him as the son of the ram-shaped god Amun (Zeus Ammon). In addition, the divine is emphasized by long, moving, curly hair - a characteristic of the youthful Dionysus - as well as by the large, deep-set, upward-looking eyes, which were a stylistic device for expressing pathos in Hellenism. Alexander's characteristic forelock, the anastole, is also clearly visible on these coins. It is remarkable that Lysimachus, as king, did not follow the example of kings Ptolemy I Soter and Demetrios Poliorketes and how they put his own portrait on his coins, but instead had it minted with the image of the deified Alexander. However, while the obverse "pays homage" to the god Alexander, the reverse clearly makes reference to Lysimachus and his overwhelming victory at Ipsus (301 BC). Because the Nike crowns his name with the victor's laurel, but is itself on the hand of the powerful goddess Athena, it becomes clear that it was actually Athena who gave Lysimachus the victory. And since Ipsos was his greatest victory, this depiction on the reverse of the coin is probably an allusion to that outstanding victory of Ipsos. The iconographic message of this coin: the kingship of Lysimachus is legitimate because it is derived from the deified Alexander and Athena is the powerful patron and protector of the king. Or to put it another way, Lysimachus, the former bodyguard, general and close confidant of Alexander the Great, is the rightful king and successor of Alexander and a favorite of the goddess Athena. Artistically speaking, these coins, with their idealized portrait of the deified Alexander and Nike-wearing Athena, are undoubtedly among the greatest of early Hellenism and among the most beautiful and impressive of all of Greek antiquity." - quote: Michael Kurt Sonntag for münzen-online.de Starting price: 200 EUR |  |
