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| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 132 | Auction date: 18 May 2026 |
| Lot number: 249 Price realized: 5,000 USD (Approx. 4,295 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 MACEDON. Antigonos I Monophthalmos. As Strategos of Asia, 320-306/5 BC. AV Stater (18mm, 8.50 g, 1h). In the name and types of Alexander III. Babylon mint. Struck under Peithon, circa 315-311 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right / Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis; monogram below left and right wings. Price 3724. Trace deposits. VF. After Perdikkas, Antigonos Monophthalmos ("one-eyed," so-called for having lost an eye to a catapult bolt) was perhaps the most powerful of the Diadochs upon Alexander's death. Having been entrusted with overseeing Macedonian rule in Asia Minor, Antigonos was left in control of vast resources that enabled him to persevere through the wars of the Diadochs. At the height of his power, his territories stretched from the Hellespont to Babylon. While his military prowess was keen, so too were his diplomatic skills. In fact, his skill of using the other Diadochs against one another was more attributable to his success in building his domains than his military victories. By 306 BC, Antigonos was so certain of his dominance that he proclaimed himself king, the first of the Diadochs to do so. It was this event, which he thought to be his triumphant moment, that proved his undoing. From that moment, the other Diadochs clearly saw Antigonos and his son, Demetrios Poliorketes, as their primary opponents. Putting aside their differences for the first time, all the other Diadochs – Ptolemy, Seleukos, Lysimachos, and Kassander – joined forces against Antigonos. For a year the allies pressured the Antigonid forces around the Aegaean. Finally, at the battle of Ipsos in 301 BC, Antigonos was defeated by the combined forces of Seleukos and Lysimachos. Antigonos was killed in the battle, but Demetrios was able to escape and continue fighting the others for years, though he never regained the sizeable territory that his father had once ruled. Estimate: 2500 USD |  |
