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ID Help Please. Alexander Tetradrachm?

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 Posted 05/11/2026  09:19 am Show Profile   Check MetDet71's eBay Listings Bookmark this topic Add MetDet71 to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Had this coin given to me by a friend who knows I am into ancient coins, he got it from an antique centre. I know next to nothing about Greek coins so if someone can help out please, id and genuine?

28mm and 16.1grams.

Thank you, Met.


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ID-Help-Please.-Alexander-Tetradrachm?
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MetDet71's Avatar
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 Posted 05/12/2026  11:49 am  Show Profile   Check MetDet71's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add MetDet71 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I got the answer from a group I am in on the book of face lol. I don't think it's cast but it's easier to tell when it's in hand. Anyhow, it can go in a flip now and get tucked away.


Quote:
It is a Tetradrachm struck under the name of Alexander lll but it could have been struck by a number of kings. The position of the legs of Zeus (crossed) point it to not being a life time issue of Alexander himself where the legs are not crossed but without the mint marks it's hard to tell which King minted it. There are also some red flags of it being a cast counterfeit or barbarian copy. The face and lion skin on the head are not quite right and there are signs of filing marks around the rim. You need to get a weight. It should be around 17 grams
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 Posted 05/12/2026  5:44 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add livingwater to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The vast majority of Alexander's coins had mintmarks or monograms so they can be identified. A few have no symbols at all. The main reference for Alexander coinage is by Martin Price, Coinage in the name of Alexander the Great, two volumes. If you live near a major library they may have a copy but searching for the few examples without any markings would take some time.

You could take it to a coin store that has an XRF and test it. You'd at least know if it's silver or not, if not then you know for sure it's a fake. There are a few dealers that will examine a coin for authenticity for a fee. I've sent a few to David R Sear but I don't know if he currently still does this. NGC grades ancient coins if you want to go that route.

By the way I talked to a dealer who said dating his coinage by whether Zeus' legs are crossed is a general guideline but there are exceptions.

Edited by livingwater
05/12/2026 5:55 pm
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 Posted 05/13/2026  08:05 am  Show Profile   Check MetDet71's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add MetDet71 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks for the info livingwater. Have shown the coin to a few of my friends and a dealer from Nottingham who is very good at his job and he said it is imitative and authentic so I now am going to scan the world wide web for more info on that basis. I know Someone that works in a jewellery shop that has access to an XRF machine so will get that done as well. Thanks again,
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 Posted 05/13/2026  09:42 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add livingwater to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Yes, there are "unofficial" or "barbaric" imitation coins tribes/people made to look like coins of other cultures. They are not modern fakes, were made in ancient times. Your's may be one of these. Usually the style of the design is not correct but I don't know much about them.

I have an ancient counterfeit Athens new style tetradrachm, bronze/copper inside, silver plated outside. These are called fourree.

ID-Help-Please.-Alexander-Tetradrachm?
Edited by livingwater
05/13/2026 10:11 am
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 Posted 05/14/2026  06:37 am  Show Profile   Check MetDet71's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add MetDet71 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks again
So after the information you have given me I think it's nailed down. It is silver not a bronze or copper core.
Correct me if wrong but I think what I have is a barbarous imitation issued in the name of Alexander III 'the Great' of Macedon, Obverse: Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, Reverse: Zeus Aetophoros seated left. Unsure of actual date range due to lack of markings on the coin.
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 Posted 05/14/2026  06:39 am  Show Profile   Check MetDet71's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add MetDet71 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I have an ancient counterfeit Athens new style tetradrachm


That's quite a nice looking coin even if it's a Fourree.
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