Alexander the Great & Lysimachos Tetradrachm Coin - Short History

Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon, was one of the most successful military commanders in history, conquering most of the known world before his death; he is regarded as one of the greatest military strategists and tacticians who ever lived.

Very soon after Alexander the Great's ascended to the throne, he started a monetary reform in order to make the Macedonian coinage competitive and international. Adopting the Athenian monetary standard for the silver coins (tetradrachms and drachmas) he used on the obverse and reverse sides themes from Macedonian mythology (as the depiction of Hercules) while keeping on the other side themes from the Pan-Hellenic pantheon (as the Olympian God Zeus).

The specific coin was minted at about 287 BC, after Alexander's death, by king Lysimachos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, who inherited the throne of Thrace after his death.

The original coin is actually exhibited in the Greek Numismatic Museum.