Drachm - Lysimachus Abydus

Lysimachus struck coins bearing the deified image of Alexander throughout his reign — a deliberate political act that tied his legitimacy directly to the Macedonian conqueror under whom he had served as bodyguard. The Abydus mint occupied a strategically critical position on the Hellespont, and control of it meant control of the straits connecting Europe and Asia. Lysimachus lost his life at Corupedium in 281 BC fighting Seleucus I, ending his kingdom almost immediately — making the entire reign's coinage a product of roughly sixteen years of continuous dynastic maneuvering.