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Orbis Collectibles

Parion, Lysimachos, tetradrachm — Athena seated left (CN type 24258)

DocumentedSupported by at least one credible specialist source.

Record status

Individual type · research required

Period

297–281 BC

Issuing entity

Mysia

Tetradrachm in silver struck at Parion in Mysia under Lysimachos, dated 297–281 BC. Corpus Nummorum, the online type corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, records it as CN type 24258 (period: Hellenistic Period; issuing authority type: city).

Obverse: Diademed head of deified Alexander the Great with horn of Ammon, right. Reverse: Athena (Nikephoros) seated left, holding Nike and spear; shield behind. Legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ. Measured specimens give a mean weight of 16.68 g (from 1 recorded specimen). Published references cited by the corpus: Seyrig, Parion au 3e siècle avant notre ère, New York 1958, nr. 3.

Evidence at a glance

Linked sources
3
Photograph views
1
Catalogue references
1

Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.

Historical context

Parion, or Parium, was a Greek city of Adrasteia located in Mysia on the Hellespont. Lysimachus, a former officer and bodyguard of Alexander the Great, was appointed strategos of Thrace after Alexander's death in 323 BC and became king of Thrace in 306 BC. Following the defeat of Antigonus at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, Lysimachus acquired northern Asia Minor, alongside Lydia, Ionia, and Phrygia, ruling western Asia Minor until his defeat and death at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BC. Tetradrachms, large silver coins nominally equivalent to four drachmae, were widely minted across the Hellenic world by political figures to deliver political messages and fund state expenses.

Physical characteristics

Material
silver
Denomination
tetradrachm
Recorded mean weight
16.68 g (mean of 1 recorded specimens)

Technical characteristics

Mint
Parion
Region
Mysia
Authority type
City
Issuing authority
Lysimachos

Design

Obverse type
Diademed head of deified Alexander the Great with horn of Ammon, right.
Reverse type
Athena (Nikephoros) seated left, holding Nike and spear; shield behind.
Reverse legend
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ

Identification

Period
Hellenistic Period
How to identify
Check the mint name or ethnic, the reverse type and the legend together, then compare weight and module; types from the same mint often differ only in legend arrangement, magistrate names or control marks.
Type corpus record
https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/types/24258
Type corpus identifier
CN type 24258

Documentation checklist

Denomination
Recorded
Issue or mint date
Recorded
Material
Recorded
Weight
Recorded
Mint or printer
Recorded
Mint or printer mark
Research required
Catalogue reference
Recorded
Attached photograph (check rights)
Recorded

Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.

Catalogue references

  • Corpus Nummorum bibliographynr. 3

Varieties

  • Parion, Lysimachos, tetradrachm (CN type 24259)

    Near-identical catalogue variant (same obverse and reverse legends, type and denomination, differing only in minor marks or bust detail); consolidated into this entry.

Research required

  • Diameter not recorded in the source corpus
  • Photograph reuse terms to be confirmed with the holding institution
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