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Tetradrachm - Lysimachus In the name of Alexander III, Sardis
| Issuer | Kings of Thrace |
|---|---|
| Year | 299 BC - 296 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Reverse description | Zeus Aëtophoros enthroned left on a backless throne, his nude torso rendered with Hellenistic plasticity; he extends his right hand forward, upon which an eagle stands with wings closed, and holds a long sceptre upright in his left hand. In the left field, the forepart of a lion facing left appears above a monogram, serving as a mint control mark; a second monogram is placed beneath the throne. The reverse legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ, written in Greek majuscules, flanks the enthroned deity, reading 'of King Lysimachus,' asserting royal authority in place of Alexander's original titulature. |
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| Mint | Sardis |
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| Additional information |
Lysimachus began striking coins in Alexander's name rather than his own during the early decades after the Macedonian's death — a deliberate political calculation, not administrative inertia. The Sardis mint had been operating under various Diadochi successors since Alexander's campaigns, and retaining the conqueror's name lent legitimacy that Lysimachus, one of Alexander's bodyguards turned king, still needed in the 290s BC. He would not issue coins bearing his own portrait until around 297–296 BC, making this Sardis emission among the transitional pieces produced just as that shift was occurring.