★ An extremely rare tetradrachm of Alexander III from Karne ★

KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’, 336-323 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 27 mm, 17.21 g, 12 h), Karne, circa 324-320. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. ΒAΣIΛEΩΣ - AΛEΞANΔPOY Zeus seated left on low throne, holding long scepter in his left hand and eagle standing right with closed wings in his right; to left, monogram of KA. CNG 82 (2009), 440 ( same dies ). Price 3430 and pl. XCIX, 3430a ( same dies ). Extremely rare and of great interest. About extremely fine.

Karne was a small port on the Phoenician mainland, situated opposite the island-polis of Arados, to whose peraia it belonged throughout most of its history. The city struck a very small emission of Alexander tetradrachms in the late 320ies BC and another small issue under Seleukos III, dated to 225/4 BC and likely connected to the King's expedition to reconquer the lost Seleukid possessions in Asia Minor. In Roman times, Karne was, in reflection of its dependence on its powerful neighbor, renamed Antarados, before gaining considerably more importance as the Crusader stronghold Tartus in the 12th and 13th centuries.