Alexander the Great, Charm Pendant, Tetradrachm (Coin Replica) 24kt Gold, Silver & 0.02ct Diamonds

Alexander the Great, Charm Pendant, Tetradrachm (Coin Replica) 24kt Gold, Silver & 0.02ct Diamonds

Silver coin is a replica of ancient Tetradrachm coins in the Turkish Museum. 

DETAILS:

Diamond - 0.02ct
24kt Gold 995 - 0.92 grams
SS 925 - 1.08 grams

THE STORY:

(330 BC)

Numismatists – the scholars who study coins – refer to the ‘front’ side of the coin, which usually features the head of a person or god, as the ‘obverse,’ and the ‘back’ side as the ‘reverse.’

On the obverse of this silver tetradrachm coin, a youthful bust of Herakles faces right. He has a large nose, a prominent chin, pursed lips, and a slightly furrowed brow. He wears a headdress made of a lion’s pelt, with the paws tied around his neck. A border of dots surrounds the image.

The images of the youthful Herakles and enthroned Zeus that appear on this coin are the standard types used in the silver coinage of Alexander the Great during his lifetime. As a member of the ancient Macedonian royal family (the Argead dynasty) he claimed to be descended from Herakles, and Zeus, as king of the gods, was a meaningful image for all Greeks, over whom Alexander aspired to rule. After Alexander’s death in 323 B.C., his general Seleucus continued to mint coins with these types, including this one, struck at the mint at Susa in southwestern Iran. It was only after he proclaimed himself king in 305 that Seleucus introduced his own types on a broad scale.