Seleukos I Nikator, 311-300 BC, Tetradrachm

Seleukos I Nikator, tetradrachm, AR, 311–300 BC, Babylon mint, 16.66 g, 27 mm. Obverse with the head of Herakles right, wearing the Nemean lion skin. Reverse with Zeus Aëtophoros seated left on a throne, holding eagle and sceptre; legend AΛEΞANΔPoY. Struck posthumously in the name of Alexander III as part of the early Seleucid continuation of the Alexandrine monetary types; well-centered on a broad flan with clear legend and principal devices. Price 3752.

Issued during Seleukos I’s consolidation of power in Babylonia after the Wars of the Diadochi, this posthumous Alexandrine tetradrachm reflects the continued use of Alexander’s widely recognized coin types to secure acceptance across diverse regions and armies. The Babylon mint served as a major monetary center for paying troops and facilitating large-scale transactions, and the retention of Alexander’s name and iconography provided political legitimacy and monetary continuity while Seleukos established the foundations of the Seleucid kingdom.