★ A spectacular Memphis stater of Alexander III, ex Hess-Leu, 24 March 1959, 166 ★

KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’, 336-323 BC. Stater (Gold, 19 mm, 8.55 g, 12 h), Memphis, struck under Ptolemy I, as satrap, circa 323/2-317/1. Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet decorated with a coiled serpent. Rev. AΛEΞANΔΡOΥ Nike standing front, head to left, with her wings spread, holding laurel wreath in her right hand and stylis in her left. Price 3961. Svoronos -. Zervos Issue 72, 727 ( this coin ). A spectacular coin, beautifully struck in high relief, lustrous, and of exceptionally fine style. Good extremely fine.

Ex Hess-Leu, 24 March 1959, 166 (acquired by S. Werkner, Tiroler Münzhandlung).

While this wonderful gold stater has every quality of ancient Greek coinage in style and appearance, it was indeed struck far away from Greece, in the great Egyptian city of Memphis. The city was known in Antiquity for its highly skilled craftsmen (who stood under the protection of Ptah, one of Memphis’ chief deities) and most likely already housed a mint before Alexander ‘liberated’ Egypt from the Persians. The mint continued striking some of the finest gold staters and silver tetradrachms in the Alexandrine series under Ptolemy I, until coin production was moved to Alexandria, in circa 313 BC.