Alexander the Great, King of the Macedons
1992 100 Drachmai authentic coin from Greece
Meanings: Loyalty, courage, success, equality, tolerance, friendship, partnership
Features
Issuer Greece
Period Third Hellenic Republic (1974-date)
Type Standard circulation coin
Years 1990-2000
Value 100 Drachmes (100 GRD)
Currency Third modern drachma (1954-2001)
Composition Aluminium-bronze
Weight 10.0 g
Diameter 29.3 mm
Thickness 2.22 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized 02-28-2002
Number N# 568
References KM# 159, Schön# 98
This beautiful authentic Greek coin depicts Alexander, the brilliant young general and world conqueror, whose lifelong love for his best friend Hephaistion is legendary. Born in Pella, Macedonia, (present-day Greece) in 356 BC, Alexander’s parents were King Philip II of Macedonia and Princess Olympias of Epirus, and his tutor was the famous philosopher Aristotle. Alexander as head of state was not an absolute ruler but rather the leader of a group of fighters who planned campaigns together in a democratic assembly. Alexander spread Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean and beyond, and was the first known general to forbid his troops from committing rapine or killing civilians. Welcomed in many lands as a liberator, he died at the age of 32, not long after the death of his beloved Hephaistion.
The devotion of Alexander and Hephaistion to one another imbues this coin with a powerful charge, invoking the spirit of loyalty, affection and partnership. This coin also brings courage, equality and tolerance, especially in matters of gender, and strengthens same-sex marriage and friendship. The dark side of this image is a tendency to overdo, it brings a warning to pace oneself and not take on too much.
Alexander never issued currency with his likeness during his lifetime, but coins minted by his successors depicted him with ram’s horns symbolizing his divinity as a descendent of Zeus. This modern coin is inspired by those in antiquity, showing the divine Alexander on the obverse with the legend “Alexander the Great, King of the Macedons.” On the reverse is the sun, symbol of Macedon, and the coin’s denomination of 100 drachmai.
