Our partner for world banknotes research
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 132 | Auction date: 18 May 2026 |
| Lot number: 197 Price realized: 3,750 USD (Approx. 3,221 EUR) 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, Macedonian. Lysimachos. 305-281 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 17.10 g, 12h). Lampsakos mint. Struck 297/6-282/1 BC. Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / Athena Nikephoros seated left, arm resting on shield, transverse spear in background; torch to inner left, star on throne. Thompson 43; Müller 381; HGC 3, 1750b; SNG BN 2538-9. Light iridescent tone, underlying luster. Good VF. Attractive style and in high relief. From the D. K. Collection. Lysimachos, a Macedonian noble of great strength and stature, was born circa 360 BC and rose to prominence as a bodyguard for Alexander the Great, although he was a generation older than the young king. When Alexander's territories were parceled out in 323 BC, Lysimachos was given control of Thrace, the Chersonese, and the intervening Black Sea coast. Much of this territory was claimed by various Thracian tribes, forcing him to spend decades in a largely fruitless effort to subdue them. By the time he assumed the royal title in 306/5 BC, his kingdom consisted of little more than the southern portions of Thrace. But he soon experienced a late-career revival as he plunged fully into the wars of the Diadochi, carving out an ever-expanding realm largely at the expense of his main rivals, Antigonos I Monophthalmos and his son Demetrios I Poliorketes. This territory was rich with both bullion and mint cities, enabling Lysimachos to begin striking a voluminous coinage on his behalf, initially patterned on the coins of Alexander, but with his own name and royal title. Estimate: 1000 USD |  |
