Macedon under Kassander. Tetradrachm, Alexandria

Macedon under Kassander. Tetradrachm, Alexandria in Egypt, circa 311–305 BC. AR (28.5 mm, 15.59 g, 12 h). Obv. Anepigraphic. Bust of Alexander the Great as Zeus-Ammon to right, wearing the ram’s horn and diadem, clad in the aegis and draped with the elephant scalp headdress. Rev. ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ / (ΔΙ). Athena Alkidemos (Promachos) advancing right, hurling spear with her raised right hand and holding shield on her left arm; in left field, Corinthian helmet, monogram, and eagle standing right on thunderbolt. Refs: Sv. 169; Copenhagen 30; GC 7750 var.; BMC –. A superbly struck and well-centred tetradrachm, notable for its fine Hellenistic portrait of Alexander as Zeus-Ammon, his features idealised and framed by the dramatic elephant scalp headdress symbolising his conquest of the East. The reverse, with Athena in her dynamic Alkidemos guise, proclaims the continuing military power and divine protection of Alexander’s legacy. The subsidiary symbols—helmet, eagle, and monogram—identify the issue to the Alexandrian mint during the unsettled years following the king’s death, when his successors competed to control Egypt and its resources. The type belongs to the coinage of the Diadochi, struck in Alexander’s name but issued under the authority of Kassander during his rivalry with Ptolemy and other claimants to the empire. The imagery of Zeus-Ammon was particularly resonant, recalling Alexander’s visit to the oracle at Siwa, while Athena Alkidemos became a staple of posthumous Alexandrine coinage in Macedon and beyond. Condition: Excellent preservation, both sides well centred; the portrait of Alexander of great style and finely detailed. Attractive grey patina with light golden iridescence. Extremely Fine.