Sale: CNG 82, Lot: 327. Estimate $750.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2009.  Sold For $475. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THRACE, Byzantion. Circa 260 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.12 g, 12h). With the name and types of Lysimachos. Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / Athena Nikephoros seated left, left arm resting on shield, spear behind; no markings. Thompson -; Marinescu - (O2/R- [unlisted rev. die]). Near EF.

Struck from the same obverse die as the following lot.

This coin is from an unmarked issue unknown to Marinescu, but the obverse die links it to both the first and second issues from Byzantion. As these two issues are not die linked to the following issues, the presence of this unmarked issue raises the question whether Marinesu’s obverse die O2 is actually first, as it would seem that an unmarked issue would precede both issues one and two.

Lysimachos type coinage was so popular, and became so commonly accepted, that cities in the region of Lysimachos’ empire continued to produce coinage in the Thracian king’s name long after his death. These posthumous coins, struck over some 200 years, are not issues of Lysimachos, but rather the civic coinage of individual cities or the imperial coinage of later kings, such as Mithradates VI of Pontos who issued an extensive gold and silver coinage in Lysimachos’ name. Accordingly, beginning with this catalog, CNG will list the posthumous Lysimachi under their respective cities or other issuing authorities; only the lifetime issues will be listed under Lysimachos. The one exception will be posthumous issues from uncertain mints, which will continue to be listed under Lysimachos.