Alexander the Great lifetime stater,
8.61g, official issue from Abydos, Troas, Asia Minor, c. 328-323 BC, M.J. Price 1497, Müller 904, SNG Saraglos
125, SNG Ash. 2706, Thompson II 1, McClean 3405, Prokesch-Osten Liste 14. The obverse depicts Athena wearing a
crested Corinthian helmet ornamented with a coiled snake, wearing an earring and a necklace, her braided hair falling
straight down the back of her neck and visible as wavy locks beneath her helmet to the side. The reverse depicts
Nike holding a wreath and ship stylis (ornament) or a mast, Hermes or a generic male wearing a chlamys (small cloak
fastened at the shoulder), a mint control mark consisting of the Greek letter xi under Athena's right wing, and
the inscription "Of Alexander."
This coin features a feminine-looking Athena. Martin Price described the figure in the reverse left field as a
male wearing a chlamys. S. Psoma and I. Touratsoglou in SNG Saraglos/Greece 4 indicated that there's probably a
shield on the figure's right shoulder. Margaret Thompson identified the figure as Hermes, the messenger god. Ludvig
Müller in 1855 attributed this coin to Aptera, Crete.
Alexander the Great posthumous stater, 8.6g, official issue from Miletos, Ionia, Asia Minor, c. 323-319 BC, M.J. Price 2095, SNG Delepierre 973, SNG Cop. 633, Mørkholm 38, Thompson I 127. This coin features a masculine-looking Athena. The reverse features the inscription to the left instead of the right. The mint marks are an ear of grain and a double-headed ax. An ear of grain is sometimes described as an ear of corn, which is a generic British term for such grains as wheat or barley. Margaret Thompson accurately specified that on this coin it's an ear of barley, barley having longer whiskers than wheat. The double-headed or double ax is an attribute or symbol of Zeus and a representation of power. The Romans called it a "bipennis," which is a frequently seen but confusing term used in the numismatic literature.
Alexander the Great fourree stater, 5.7g (compared with about 8.6g for an official Alexander gold stater), copy of posthumous stater from Greece or Macedonia, c. 310-275 BC, M.J. Price 831. Ancient counterfeit with gold plating largely intact.
Alexander the Great fourree stater, 5.1g. Ancient counterfeit with gold plating broken and wrinkled because of internal corrosion of the underlying bronze.
Slightly barbarized Thracian imitative fourree Alexander the Great stater, 9.1g, ancient gold-plated lead counterfeit, 3rd-2nd century BC, copy of a coin from Amphipolis, Macedonia, issued c. 330-320 BC, M.J. Price 172. Thick flan.
Highly barbarized Kolchian imitative Alexander the Great gold stater, 4.2g, ancient coin issue from Kolchis/Colchis, Caucasia, c. 200-150 BC, Lang Table I, 5f. Thin flan surrounded by wildly raised rims.
Alexander Brothers bronze token, 10.3g, trade token issued by Alexander Brothers Belting and Sole Leather of Philadelphia in 1917. The obverse was designed by American sculptor J. Otto Schweizer of Philadelphia, with the same obverse later used on an American Numismatic Association membership medal first issued in 1954 and later reissued by the organization as a collectable. The obverse, which portrays Alexander as Athena, is reminiscent of the obverse of Alexander's staters and is commentary about how many people over the years have misinterpreted Athena as Alexander as well as Herakles as Alexander on Alexander's coinage. The helmet, unlike with Alexander's staters, is decorated with the image of Atlas bearing the sphere of the heavens on his back.
1978 Greek 100 drachmas note, 15.7 x 6.7cm, Pick 200. Obverse: To the left, Athena wearing a crested Corinthian helmet, reminiscent of the obverse of Alexander's staters but with Medusa's snakey locks visible at her neck, with Medusa being part of her breastplate. The image is based on an ancient statue found at Piraeus. To the right, the neoclassical headquarters building of Athens University, built in 1841 and famous for being the center of the first modern university in the Balkans. Reverse: To the left, Adamantios Korais (1748-1833), a classical scholar and medical doctor who earned the title of "Teacher of the Greek Nation" for his role in the intellectual revival that took place in Greece before the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821. The image is based on a portrait in the National Historical Museum in Athens. To the right, the church of Arkadi Monastery in Crete, a symbol of Greek independence against Turkey. The above note was the last Greek 100 drachmas note, replaced with the introduction of the euro in 2002, with it having the value of about 30 euro cents at the time.