Tetradrachm - Demetrius I Poliorcetes Pella

Demetrius I Poliorcetes seized Macedonia in 294 BC after murdering Alexander V, one of two sons of Cassander he systematically eliminated to consolidate control. His reign lasted barely five years before his own generals abandoned him to Seleucus, who imprisoned him in Syria until his death in 283 BC. The Pella mint operated under his direct authority during this window, and issues from this short reign are correspondingly scarce.

Newell's classification of this type places it firmly within the Macedonian royal series rather than the earlier league or allied issues. The die work from Pella under Demetrius is notably crisp compared to his Amphipolis output.