| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31019 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients THRACIAN KINGDOM. Lysimachus (305-281 BC). AV stater (18mm, 8.58 gm, 6h). NGC MS 5/5 - 2/5, scuffs, brushed, edge marks. Pella or Amphipolis, 286/5-282/1 BC. Diademed head of deified Alexander III right, with horn of Ammon; dotted border / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΛΥΣΙΜΑXΟΥ, Athena enthroned left, Nike standing left in outstretched right hand, resting left arm on grounded shield decorated with gorgoneion head boss, transverse spear beyond; HP monogram in inner left field, KAT monogram in exergue. Thompson 240 var. (HP monogram in outer left field). A truly beautiful piece boasting a strong portrait, the only example in our sales archives. Alexander the Great's meteoric 13-year career of conquest left the classical world profoundly transformed by the time of his premature death in 323 BC. In the immediate aftermath, Alexander's generals carved up his immense new empire into spheres of influence, although maintaining the fiction of a unified leadership. Territorial disputes soon led to civil wars, with the rival warlords contending for supreme power. Chief among these was Lysimachus, who at various times controlled Thrace, Macedon, and much of Asia Minor. For the obverse of his coinage, Lysimachus claimed the mantle of Alexander by choosing the image of the conqueror himself, now shown as a god wearing the ram's horn of the Greco-Egyptian deity Ammon. The image is one of the earliest true portraits to appear on a coin, and one of the finest. The reverse, depicting Athena enthroned, likewise proved extremely influential throughout history, forming the archetype for the figure of Britannia on modern English coins. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-thracian-kingdom-lysimachus-305-281-bc-av-stater-18mm-858-gm-6h-ngc-ms-5-5-2-5-scuffs-brushed-/a/3115-31019.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 6000-8000 USD |  |
