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Tetradrachm In the name of Lysimachus, Cyzicus
| Issuer | Kings of Thrace |
|---|---|
| Year | 280 BC - 250 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Diademed head of the deified Alexander III the Great facing right, rendered in the idealized Hellenistic style with flowing, voluminous hair swept back from the forehead. A prominent horn of Ammon curls behind the ear, symbolizing Alexander's claimed divine descent from Zeus-Ammon. The portrait is finely engraved with strong facial features, including a well-defined brow, straight nose, and slightly parted lips. A beaded border encircles the coin's periphery. The effigy closely follows the canonical posthumous portrait type established by Lysimachus for his coinage. |
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| Reverse description | Athena Nikephoros enthroned left, wearing helmet and aegis, her right hand extending forward to hold Nike who faces left and crowns the royal epithet; her left arm rests upon a large round shield decorated with a lion's head boss. A transverse spear is positioned behind the throne. The legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ runs in two lines flanking the seated figure. A thunderbolt appears in the inner left field, and a tunny fish is placed in the exergue, serving as the Cyzicene mint control mark. |
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| Additional information |
Lysimachus died at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BC, yet coins struck in his name continued circulating and being minted for decades afterward — a deliberate choice by successor cities seeking the commercial credibility his portrait conferred. Cyzicus, a major trading hub on the Propontis, was among the most prolific of these posthumous issuers. The practice was not sentimental; Lysimachean tetradrachms had become a trusted currency across the Aegean trade network, and cities simply kept producing what merchants would accept without question.