Nomos 12

KINGS of THRACE. Lysimachos, 305-281 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 27mm, 16.92 g 11), Lysimacheia, c. 297/6-282/1 or shortly thereafter. Diademed head of Alexander the Great to right with horn of Ammon over his ear. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ Athena seated to left on throne, leaning her left elbow on her shield and holding Nike, crowning the king’s name, in her right; behind, transverse spear without point; on inner left, lion’s head to left; on throne, monogram. Müller 58. Thompson 15/16 var. A boldly struck coin with a fine portrait. Some black deposits, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From a European private collection, formed before 2005.

The reverses of the tetradrachm coinage of Lysimachos from Lysimacheia have one rather interesting particularity: Athena’s spear very seldom has a pointed spearhead! Normally she seems to be just holding a long pole, as if she were resting after having competed in the pole vault in some divine version of the Olympics. In this case the die engraver seems to have forgotten what he was doing: he shows us the lower end of the pole but has forgotten its upper end behind Athena’s head!