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Stater In the name of Lysimachus, Cyzicus
| Issuer | Kings of Thrace |
|---|---|
| Year | 250 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | SNG BN 2523; Thompson 170; Müller 395 |
| Obverse description | Diademed head of the deified Alexander the Great facing right, depicted with the horn of Ammon curling behind his ear, rendered in fine Hellenistic style with carefully detailed wavy hair swept back from the forehead. The portrait is youthful and idealized, consistent with posthumous commemorative coinage issued in Alexander's name by Lysimachus. The field is plain, and the flan is slightly irregular as typical of hammered ancient gold coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ |
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| Additional information |
Lysimachus died at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BC, yet cities across the Aegean continued striking gold staters in his name for generations afterward — some for over a century. Cyzicus was among the most prolific of these posthumous minting authorities, leveraging the enduring commercial prestige of the Lysimachan type on trade routes connecting the Black Sea to the Aegean. The coinage functioned essentially as a trusted bullion currency, its value resting on the recognized type rather than any living king's authority.
Thompson's die study remains the definitive reference for sorting these posthumous issues by city and chronology.