Lot 12C
Greece, Hellenistic, ca. 336 to 323 BCE. A beautiful gold ring set with an ancient silver Alexander the Great silver (AR) drachm presenting a portrait of Herakles (Hercules) on the obverse, and Zeus sitting on his throne and holding a scepter and eagle on the reverse. Although some have argued that the image of Herakles actually represented Alexander himself, no convincing evidence of this has surfaced, and the face of Herakles is different in different regions. What's more Herakles was the supreme hero of the Greeks. Born of Zeus and made mortal, Herakles famously accomplished 12 difficult tasks on earth known as the 12 Labors of Herakles in order to attain divine status. On this coin, Herakles' headdress is the skin of the fierce Nemean lion that the legendary hero defeated during his first labor. For Alexander, the idea that a man could become a god was no doubt quite attractive; hence, it should come as no surprise that he favored this image. The coin is set in a modern 14K gold ring. US ring size 10.25; Weight: 18.9 grams Size: shank measures .875" in diameter (2.2 cm); coin face measures .75" in diameter (1.9 cm)
Alexander the Great needs no introduction, and his coinage had subsequent international fame - although they began to be minted during his lifetime, coins of this style were also issued for two decades after his death by the generals who had divided up his empire, and similar coins were minted by cities for over two centuries to be issued as international coinage. During his lifetime, the production of these coins also speaks to the vast international reach that his empire (and his fame) had: twenty-five mints produced these tetradrachms, of which two were in his home kingdom of Macedonia, one was in his conquered territory of Egypt, and the other twenty-three were in various parts of Alexander-conquered or -influenced Asia.
Provenance: private Lexington, Kentucky, USA collection
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#131767
- Condition: Ring is in generally excellent condition. Coin is VF.
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| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
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| $200,000 + | $25,000 |