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93
Thracian Kingdom. Lysimachos. Gold Stater (8.51 g), as King, 306-281 BC.
Byzantion
(later Constanti-
nople), ca. 230s BC. Diademed head of deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon. Rev.
BASILEWS
LUSIMACOU
, Athena seated left, holding Nike and resting elbow on shield at side, spear leaning against
far shoulder; in outer left field, monogram; in exergue, trident left. Marinescu 119 (dies 44/114); Seyrig
pl. 23, 7 = SNG Berry 456 (same dies). Lustrous. Fine style and struck in high relief on a nice large flan.
Nearly Mint State.
$4,000
From the Dionysus Collection.
After the death of Alexander the Great, his former bodyguard Lysimachos managed to parlay his position as strategos (military
governor) of Thrace into kingship in Thrace (306 BC) and then into a great kingdom that encompassed Thrace, Macedonia,
and much of western Asia Minor (301 BC). Unfortunately, family intrigues ultimately led Lysimachos to execute his popular son
Agathokles in 282 BC. This sparked a revolt in Asia Minor that drew in the forces of Seleukos I and resulted in the battle of
Koroupedion (281 BC). Lysimachos was killed in the fighting and his kingdom disintegrated amid war and barbarian invasion.
Nevertheless, Lysimachos achieved near immortality through his coin types depicting the deified Alexander and Athena Ni-
kephoros. These types had made such a strong impression on the peoples of Thrace and regions further to the north that they
continued to be demanded as payment by mercenaries and as protection money well into the first century BC. This impressive
demand was met by numerous posthumous issues struck by cities up and down the western littoral of the Black Sea and the
Propontis. They are perhaps best known from Byzantion, which struck posthumous Lysimachi not only to retain domination
in the Black Sea grain trade but also to pay the exorbitant tributes demanded by the Galatians of Tylis in the third century BC.
94
Thracian Kingdom. Lysimachos. Silver Tetradrachm (17.01 g), as King, 306-281 BC. Uncertain mint,
posthumous issue, mid 3rd century BC. Diademed head of deified Alexander right, with horn of Am-
mon. Rev.
BASILEWS LUSIMACOU
, Athena seated left, holding Nike and resting elbow on shield at
side, spear leaning against her far shoulder; in inner left field, monogram; in exergue,
STH
. Cf. Müller 527.
Boldly struck in high relief with lustrous surfaces. Excellent metal and lightly toned. Perfectly centered
compact style. Nearly Mint State.
$1,500
From the Dionysus Collection.