KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’, 336-323 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 26 mm, 17.28 g, 11 h), Damaskos, struck under Menon or Menes, circa 330-323. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. AΛEΞANΔPOY Zeus seated left on low throne, holding long scepter in his left hand and eagle standing right with closed wings in his right; to left, forepart of a ram to right; below throne, three pellets above strut and ΔA below. Hersh -. Price 3207 var. (arrangement of pellets). Beautifully toned and very well centered, a lovely example. Light graffito in the upper reverse field, otherwise, extremely fine.


Damaskos had been the Persian headquarters of Darios' army during the Battle of Issos. When the Persians were defeated, the Macedonians overran the Persian headquarters and captured a great treasure there. Shortly after, in around 330, they established a royal mint at Damaskos and began producing tetradrachms. These are generally all of fine Syrian style and competent manufacture, like the present example, and were certainly struck from the captured Persian bullion. The first issue from the mint had a monogram in the left field where the ram forepart is on our coin, but soon the mint switched to the ram forepart and the letters ΔA, which are thought to be an abbreviation for the mint. The trefoil of pellets on this particular coin were not known to either Price or to Hersh, but there are several other varieties with and without pellets above and between the struts of the throne, anywhere from none to six. Price 3207 has them arranged in a horizontal linear form above the lower strut in the same position as here.