Lot 1801

Description

Ionia, Ephesos, Kingdom of, Lysimachus, (323-281 B.C.), silver tetradrachm, (17.215 grams), Ephesos mint, style of that issued c.294-287 B.C., obv. head of Alexander to right, with diadem and horn of Ammon, within dotted border, dotted border, rev. Athena enthroned to left, supporting Nike, to inner left a bee, in exergue a monogram of **SG*, to left **BASILEWS to right **LUSIMACOU, (cf.S.6814, Thompson 166, M.426). Well centred and with a very high relief of finest style, struck on a full flan with a superb eye, extremely fine and very rare.

The early Ephesus mint issues of Lysimachus have some of the finest of the artistic representations of portraiture of Alexander the Great. The issue signed by a monogram and with the bee symbol is rarely seen in tetradrachms. It has a very similar style to the best of the fine 'K' tetradrachms of Pergamon.