Tetradrachm - Alexander I Balas Antiochia on the Orontes

Alexander I Balas seized the Seleucid throne by claiming to be the son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes — a claim almost certainly fabricated, though Rome and Pergamon found it politically convenient enough to support him against Demetrius I. He took power in 150 BC and promptly demonstrated his unsuitability for it, neglecting administration in favor of prolonged feasting and delegating actual governance to ministers. The Antioch mint under his reign shows the consequences: die alignment and fabric consistency deteriorate noticeably across the series relative to earlier Seleucid production.

He was ousted and killed in 145 BC, his reign lasting just five years.