- More
Ancients: MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AV distater (22mm, 17.20 gm, 2h). NGC AU ★ , 5/5 - 5/5....
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.Description
Alexander's Golden Haul
MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AV distater (22mm, 17.20 gm, 2h). NGC AU ★ , 5/5 - 5/5. Lifetime issue of Amphipolis, 325-323 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing triple crested Corinthian helmet decorated with coiled serpent / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Nike standing left, holding wreath in outstretched right hand and stylis over left shoulder, thunderbolt in left field, A-O monogram under left wing. Price 191a. Müller 1. Troxell Studies, Group B. Gulbenkian 843. Boldly struck on a broad flan. A few hairlines in reverse fields, otherwise perfectly centered and deeply struck on a broad, round flan, and highly impressive.At the beginning of his reign in 336 BC, the Macedonian Kingdom was reportedly in debt to the tune of 500 silver talents (a talent being 6,000 silver drachms and a "king's ransom" in earliest Greek times). To give an idea of the vast loot his conquests amassed, at Susa alone Alexander seized 50,000 talents of silver and 40,000 of gold. This huge intake of bullion resulted in hitherto unseen denominations such as the gold distater, tariffed at two staters and ten silver tetradrachms, about 20 day's wages for a Macedonian soldier during wartime. The distater was likely employed to pay off many of Alexander's veteran soldiers, who were rewarded for their labors with the equivalent of a silver talent. With the new denomination, a talent could be paid out as 120 gold distaters. Despite their size and enormous buying power, gold distaters evidently circulated heavily, for most specimens found today display considerable wear and numerous contact marks. This beautiful example, graded AU ★ by NGC, is free from such marks and is thus in the top 5% of surviving specimens.
Auction Info
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid (minimum $19) per lot.
Calculate Standard Domestic Shipping Sales Tax information | NGC Coin Grading Guarantee
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms | Coin Grading Tutorial
World and Ancient Coin Bibliography
Floor auctions
Open for bidding: (View All)Decorative Art
Ends on 12/13/2019
Comics & Comic Art
Ends on 12/13/2019
Arms & Armor
Ends on 12/14/2019
US Coins
Ends on 12/15/2019
World & Ancient Coins
Ends on 12/29/2019
US Coins
Ends on 01/08/2020
Currency
Ends on 01/08/2020
Currency
Ends on 01/09/2020
Comics & Comic Art
Ends on 01/09/2020
World & Ancient Coins
Ends on 01/12/2020
US Coins
Ends on 01/15/2020
World & Ancient Coins
Ends on 01/21/2020
Decorative Art
Opens about 12/19/2019
Sports Collectibles
Opens about 12/23/2019
Fine Art
Opens about 12/31/2019
Jewelry & Timepieces
Opens about 12/26/2019
World & Ancient Coins
Opens about 12/30/2019
Sports Collectibles
Opens about 01/08/2020
Jewelry & Timepieces
Opens about 01/24/2020
World & Ancient Coins
Opens about 01/05/2020
Luxury Accessories
Opens about 01/20/2020
World & Ancient Coins
Opens about 01/13/2020
Heritage membership
- Past Auction Values (prices, photos, full descriptions, etc.)
- Bid online
- Free Collector newsletter
- Want List with instant e-mail notifications
- Reduced auction commissions when you resell your
winnings
- Cash Advances
- More Bidders
- Trusted Experts
- Over 200,000 Satisfied Consignors Since 1976
Learn about consigning with us
The pre-sale publicity was more than I imagined, and the actual catalog better than I had expected - and my expectations were high!View More Testimonials
[ Entire Letter » ]
HA.com receives more traffic than any other auction house website. (Source: Similarweb.com)