Tetradrachm - Alexander I Balas

Alexander I Balas seized the Seleucid throne by claiming to be the son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes — a claim almost certainly fabricated, promoted with Roman and Pergamene backing as a political tool against Demetrius I. His coinage from this early period, struck before he had fully consolidated power, reflects the urgency of legitimizing a reign built entirely on disputed parentage and foreign patronage. The Senate recognized him formally in 150 BC, the same year Demetrius I died in battle against him.

SC2 1811.1 and 1811.2 represent die variants from the same brief window, distinguished by minor differences in the diadem ties and reverse field placement.