Antique Silver Drachm Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)
- True Original: over 2,300 years old
- Heroic Design: Herakles in lion skin
- Hand-struck: every piece unique
- True OriginalGenuine legal tender during the king's lifetime
- Heroic DesignOn the reverse, Zeus enthroned with eagle and scepter
- Hand-struckPatina and strike vary from coin to coin
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The hellenistic ageDrachm of Alexander the Great
You are looking at the front.
Between the day someone struck this piece with a single hammer blow and the day you hold it, there are roughly
2,350years
- Struck by hand
- Original, not a restrike
- 18 mm across
- 30 days return policy
Where it belongs
Eleven epochs, a thousand years, one shelf.
With Alexander the coin became a mass medium. His type, Herakles in the lion skin on one side and Zeus enthroned on the other, ran from Macedonia to the Indus and went on being struck for more than two hundred years after his death. His generals divided the empire and put their own heads on the metal, the first portraits of living men in the Greek world.
7th to 5th century BC
Archaic Greece
5th to 4th century BC
Classical Greece
6th century to 330 BC
Achaemenid Persia
5th to 2nd century BC
Carthage
336 to 30 BC
The hellenistic age
Your piece
3rd to 1st century BC
Celtic tribes
27 BC to AD 235
The Roman empire
AD 235 to 284
Crisis of the third century
AD 284 to 313
The tetrarchy
AD 306 to 363
The Constantinian dynasty
AD 395 to 1453
The eastern Roman empire
Keeping it
First things first: do not clean it.
The dark layer on bronze and the matte grey on silver are called patina. It has grown over centuries and collectors treat it as a mark of authenticity. Polishing it away does not give you a nicer piece, it gives you a damaged one: auction houses regularly value a brightly cleaned coin below the same coin with its patina intact.
Hold it by the edge
Fingerprints contain acid and salt. Take the piece between thumb and forefinger by the rim, over a soft surface.
Store it dry and dark
Moisture is the only real enemy. A pouch or a capsule in a dry place is enough; PVC sleeves are not, they attack the surface.
No agents, no brush
No vinegar, no silver cloth, no ultrasound. If you want a crust removed, let a conservator do it, not the kitchen sink.
Ancient Silver Drachm of Alexander the Great – an Original from the Age of Hellenism
More than 2,300 years old and yet tangible: the ancient silver drachm from the reign of Alexander the Great (336–323 BC) places a piece of genuine world history right in your hand. Each specimen was once struck by hand, passed through countless hands, and tells the story of the greatest empire of antiquity. Whoever owns this coin holds an authentic original from an era in which Greek culture spread from Macedonia through Egypt and Persia all the way to India.
Design and Minting: Herakles and the Enthroned Zeus
The design follows the famous iconography of Macedonian coinage. The obverse depicts the head of Herakles wearing the lion's skin – often bearing the facial features of Alexander himself, a symbol of strength and divinely legitimized power. The reverse shows the enthroned Zeus with eagle and scepter, accompanied by the legend honoring the king. This very iconography made the drachm a leading currency that facilitated trade as far as Asia and North Africa and served as the benchmark for all other coins in circulation.
Precious metal: Silver, fineness 950–980/1,000
Weight: approx. 4 g
Diameter: approx. 18 mm
Minting period: 336–323 BC, Macedonia / Greece
Design: Herakles in lion's skin (obverse) / enthroned Zeus with eagle and scepter (reverse)
Condition: These pieces were circulated as legal tender and bear corresponding traces: darker patina, individual centering, nicks, wear, and in some cases weaker areas of the legend. This is precisely what makes them so appealing. Since the year of minting, mint of origin, and reverse variant can vary, the specimen delivered will differ from the image shown – you receive an original, not a mass-produced item. We therefore ask for your understanding that the image in the shop serves as an example and may individually differ from the delivered item in terms of appearance and condition due to historical circumstances.
Delivery: in a velvet pouch
Because this is ancient circulated coinage, every drachm is a one-of-a-kind piece. Centering, minting quality, and the patina developed over centuries vary individually – and this is exactly what gives these historic silver coins their special appeal. The coin actually delivered may therefore differ from the image shown; denomination and exact year of minting vary within the series.
Small Drachm, Large Tetradrachm
The drachm was the common silver denomination of ancient Greece. Those who collect a larger sister piece will know the tetradrachm – the large silver coin worth four drachms, which at around 17 g and about 27 mm is significantly heavier and more imposing. Both share the same design of Herakles and Zeus. The compact drachm, however, scores with a lower entry point and can be more easily incorporated into a growing collection of ancient originals.
Why Silver Convinces from an Investor's and Collector's Perspective
Silver has been recognized as a store of value for thousands of years and is one of the oldest coinage metals in human history. It combines intrinsic value with high liquidity and serves many people as a solid building block for inflation hedging and crisis protection. Unlike fiat money, which rests solely on trust in governments, silver possesses an intrinsic value derived from its physical properties.
History you can hold: this drachm was genuine legal tender during Alexander's lifetime – today it is a sought-after collector's item and a tangible testament to antiquity.
Arguments for Physical Silver
High industrial demand in electronics, solar, and medical technology
Limited supply, thereby supporting long-term value stability
Diversification of wealth and passing on value across generations
Usable as a medium of exchange in times of currency instability
Profits from sale are tax-free provided the holding period is at least one year
Thus, the ancient silver drachm combines historical collector's value with the enduring qualities of a precious metal that has always been regarded as a symbol of wealth and prestige. In our silver coins category, alongside this ancient original you will find numerous other coinages – from modern investment classics to historical witnesses of their time. Secure this drachm and own a piece of living history that fascinatingly unites a collector's heart with wealth preservation.
Product depiction may differ from the final product.
