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Author Topic: Alexander Lifetime Issue?  (Read 1912 times)

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Offline Gert

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Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« on: November 11, 2004, 03:39:04 pm »
Is this a lifetime issue and where was it minted?

Best regards,
Gert

Offline Gert

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Re:Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2004, 03:43:06 pm »

Offline Rhetor

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Re:Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2004, 04:25:36 pm »
Reid Goldsborough writes:

"If you see a tet featuring crossed legs and royal title, there's virtually no chance that it's a lifetime issue. Of the 1303 varieties of tets illustrated, there were no definite lifetime tets with crossed legs and royal title and only two possible-lifetime tets with crossed legs and royal title."

I'm no expert, I just remembered this blurb from Reid's fine article.  More experienced voices can weigh in here, but since your tet features crossed legs and a royal title below Zeus' throne, lifetime seems highly unlikely.

For the full article, click: http://www.ancients.info/modules.php?s=f57bb067f67d33f9a05a0930b7f7034e&name=Sections&sop=viewarticle&artid=24

Rhetor

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Re:Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2004, 06:06:08 pm »
Interestingly CNG had a lot (#5) in their current electronic auction that is a match for yours except with F I L I G G O U on the right instead of alexander.   The control marks, M in the left field and LY under the throne are the same.   CNG lists the mint as Babylon.

Eric

Offline Gert

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Re:Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2004, 05:02:08 am »
Thanks for your comments!
However, this coin is not a tetradrachme, but a drachme.  But I take it the same rules apply.

Best regards,
Gert

Offline AlexB

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Re:Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2004, 05:56:40 am »
Hi

Fairly sure its a Babylon issued Philip III

Rgds

AlexB
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Offline Reid Goldsborough

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Re:Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2004, 04:50:54 pm »
It is a drachm from Babylon, but it's an Alexander drachm (the inscription reads "Of King Alexander" not "Of King Philip). It can be attributed as Price 3693,  c. 323-317 BC (a posthumous issue minted shortly after Alexander's death). There are subtle side issues here. The coin was minted under the authority of Philip III, Alexander's dimwhitted/mentally retarded half brother, but it's not a coin minted in his name, so numismatically it's considered a posthumous Alexander issue. Also, Martin Price put Babylon in quotation marks with this coin, as he did with most of the coins he attributed to Babylon, indicating that while he believed these coins were minted there, there's less certainty about this than with some other coins he attributed to other mints. Still, you're on safe ground describing this as a posthumous Alexander the Great coins minted in Babylon c. 323-317 BC, Price 3693.
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Offline Gert

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Re:Alexander Lifetime Issue?
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2004, 04:22:31 am »
Thanks, I'll go with that description then.

Best regards,
Gert

 

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