Alexander (AD 912-913). AV solidus (20mm, 3.77 gm, 6h). NGC VF 5/5 - 2/5, ex-jewelry. Constantinople. + IhS XRS RЄX-RЄϚNANTIЧm, full figure of Christ seated facing on curved lyre-like backed throne, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium, and colobium, right hand raised in benediction, book of Gospels on left knee / + ALEXAhd-ROS AЧϚЧStOS ROM', Alexander (on left), standing facing, wearing crown, loros, and divitision decorated with cross and four pellets, globus cruciger in right hand, left hand outstretched at side, crowned by St. Alexander (to right), standing facing, turned left, wearing pallium and colobium, cross in left hand, blessing Alexander with right. Sear 1737. A rare type, and only the third handled at Heritage. Clear details with honeyed surfaces. From the Kestenband Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Auction XXVIII (8 December 1993), lot 515. The youngest son of Basil I the Macedonian, Alexander, was quite the antithesis of his industrious and committed brother, Leo VI the Wise. Unlike Leo, Alexander was more inclined towards a life of leisure and indulgence, which kept him distanced from political engagements. Upon Leo's passing in May AD 912, the reigns of power beckoned Alexander as Leo's six-year-old son, Constantine VII, was too tender in age and surrounded by legitimacy controversies to ascend the throne. Although offered the throne, Alexander's reign was precisely the lackluster leadership Leo had foreseen, with the bulk of his time as ruler spent on feasts and engaging in tzykanion, a Byzantine rendition of polo. His tenure on the throne saw minimal administrative achievements, with his singular notable decision of withholding the annual tribute to the Bulgarians, spiraling into a prolonged 15-year conflict. However, the Byzantine empire was spared a lengthy ordeal under his lackadaisical rule as fate had Alexander succumb to exhaustion post an intense polo match in June AD 913. His demise paved the way for Constantine VII to succeed him, albeit under the guardianship of Patriarch Nicholas due to his young age. A peculiar aspect of Alexander's legacy is the extreme rarity of his coins, with merely around 20 solidi attributed to his name, painting a scant monetary reflection of his ephemeral rule. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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