Authentic Alexander III Tetradrachm?

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Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,337
Archraz Pillar of the Community United States 3499 Posts	Posted 04/09/2021 4:58 pm Hi Everyone, I was wondering if you could help me authenticate and identify this Tetradrachm of Alexander the Great. I do not see any signs of casting. It appears to be of the proper weight and diameter for an issue of this period at 16.1 grams and 31mm. Do you think that it is authentic? Also, is appears to be similar in design to tetradrachms struck in Mesembria, Thrace ca. 175-125BCE. Is my identification in the right ballpark? Thanks for any help you can provide! Edited by Archraz 04/09/2021 5:01 pm Report this Post to the Staff

sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21786 Posts	Posted 04/09/2021 6:21 pm It certainly looks to be genuine, but I can't pick it from these pictures. There is no wear or sign of surface deterioration on this coin at all. But it may have come from a hoard of freshly struck coins. That it may be a modern die struck cannot be completely dismissed. You will notice that I didn't say 'fake' in the above line, because like I said before that, too good for me to pick. It is not often that the condition term of 'uncirculated' can be applied to an ancient coin, more like 'as struck' should be applied. What is the provenance of this coin, and can it be independently proven? XRF may help to prove, which looks at the surface layer of the coin only. Look for the variety of trace elements in the analysis, which in total should be around 1-3%, and not for the purity of the silver. A modern alloy should be discreet and coin have silver and perhaps copper only. A very valuable coin if proven to be genuine, due to it's condition. Report this Post to the Staff
Archraz Pillar of the Community United States 3499 Posts	Posted 04/09/2021 7:26 pm sel_69l - Thank you very much for all of your thoughts on this coin. It is very much appreciated. Honestly, I don't own the coin - I just spotted it for sale via a reputable online seller. It looked very nice, but it was not identified as being from Mesembria, Thrace. Rather, it was just listed as an Alexander tetradrachm. While the dealer may not realize that this coin is as scarce as it may be (if authentic), I was mostly trying to get some opinions and advice since it looked a bit too good to be true. Report this Post to the Staff
sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21786 Posts	Posted 04/10/2021 05:42 am "Looked too good to be true" was one of my thoughts, but not the most prominent. Report this Post to the Staff
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