Alexander the Great Ancient Greek Gold Stater . ICG

Alexander the Great is arguably the most famous man of the entire ancient world. He inherited the throne of Macedonia at the young age of 20 and proved to be a natural leader. His genius, bravery and charisma led the Macedonian Army to victory in dozens of major battles, creating an empire that covered most of the civilized world - from Greece to Palestine to Egypt to Persia to India.

He led his army from the front ranks. He was always the first soldier to strike a blow against the enemy. He rode his famous horse Bucephalus at the point of his charging cavalry force. He was wounded on many occasions, sometimes grievously. But he always survived to lead his loyal troops to another glorious victory over vast enemy armies.

Alexander began by defeating Athens, Sparta, Thebes and all the independent city-states of Greece. He destroyed huge Persian armies led by Darius the Great and burned the Persian capital of Persepolis to the ground. He crossed the Himalayas and conquered vast swathes of Asia in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. He defeated Egypt and founded Alexandria, one of the most important cities of the ancient world. By the time of his death at the age of 33 he was Basileus (king) of Greece, Pharaoh of Egypt and Great King of Persia among many more titles.

His exploits spread the Hellenic (Greek) culture throughout the civilized world. Greek language, wisdom, writing, literature, drama, philosophy and religion influenced all subsequent cultures to an amazing degree and provided the foundations of western civilization still apparent in the modern world.

Alexander is even to this day regarded as the greatest general the world has ever seen. He never lost a single battle while building his vast empire over three continents. Men like Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte considered Alexander their idol and tried to emulate his fantastic accomplishments. After Alexander's death his body was preserved and put on public display for many hundreds of years in the dry climate of Alexandria, Egypt. For several centuries great generals, Roman Emperors and kings from around the world made the long pilgrimage to Egypt to pay homage to their hero in his golden sarcophagus.

This gold stater of Alexander is a rare relic of his legendary reign. It is made of almost pure gold unlike many later ancient coins. The coin was struck in very high relief, which makes the design seem to leap out at the viewer.

The coin was minted in the Egyptian city of Memphis, which was founded in 3100 BC by Pharoah Menes. Memphis was the capital of ancient Egypt during the Old Kingdom and remained a very important center of administration and religion for thousands of years. When Alexander conquered Egypt he established a new capital city and named it Alexandria. Memphis featured many splendid temples and tombs and was the residence of Tutankhamun among many other Pharoahs. The city was famous in Hellenistic times as the center for the cult of Apis. During Napoleanic times it was famous for the Rosetta Stone, a priestly edict that allowed heiroglyphs to finally be deciphered. The coins of Memphis are considered among the most attractive and scarce issues of Alexander the great.

The obverse of the coin features a stunning portrait of Athena wearing a crested Corinthian helmet ornamented with a coiled snake. The reverse features winged Nike standing half left holding a wreath and a stylus. There is a thunderbolt in the left field. The inscription is in Greek and says ALEXANDROU in the Greek alphabet or “of Alexander”, meaning the coin was minted for King Alexander. Nike is the goddess of victory. The wings serve to remind people that victory is fleeting. The wreath was to crown the victor -- Alexander. The stylus is an emblem of naval victory, likely recalling the defeat of Persia by the Greeks at Salamis.

The coin was probably minted in order to pay a high-ranking officer for his service in Alexander's army. Common people did not have the means to earn a coin of such value. If only the coin could reveal the people and places it has seen in its 2300+ years of existence. The coin likely was held and traded by very important characters in ancient Greek history and may have traveled to strange and exotic places throughout the ancient world.

This historic Greek gold coin is obviously extremely rare -- especially in such great condition. Most coins of this stature are exhibited in museums of classical Greek and Roman antiquities. Now is your opportunity to own and enjoy a spectacular ancient Greek gold stater with tremendous historical significance.

The coin has been graded as Extra Fine 45 by ICG. The coin has been preserved through the centuries in extraordinary condition. It is very unusual to find a 2000 year old silver coin with such great properties. The strike is strong and clear. The centering is very good. The design details are as crisp and clean as the day it was minted in an ancient workshop. Truly a magnificent example. Act now to add this museum-quality historical artifact to your collection before somebody else beats you to it.