Ancient Silver Drachm Zeus/Heracles Coin in 18 Karat Gold "Papier Mâché" Ring

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Ancient Silver Drachm Zeus/Heracles Coin in 18 Karat Gold "Papier Mâché" Ring

About the Item

This coin is called an "Alexander" because it's one of millions of coins produced by over 30 different minting facilities in the territories conquered by Alexander the Great over a 250 year period ending in 65BC. Coin specialists have volumes dedicated to these coins, and they continue to show up, buried in little "savings accounts" all over the Balkan Peninsula, the Middle East, Armenia and Iran. The front of the coin shows Zeus seated with his eagle and his scepter. The Greek inscription to the right is a shorthand designation for something like, "Alexander's Territory," and the symbol on the left is the mark of the individual who minted the coin (unfortunately, there are literally thousands of these marks, so we weren't able to identify the coin's origins from it). The other side of the coin shows Heracles wearing his headress cut from the skin of the Nemean lion he pulverized during his First Labor. Big controversy among coin buffs: did Alexander use his face as the model for Heracles? Well, we'll never know from OUR coin, which is so badly worn down that about the only visible detail is one heroic ear. Interestingly, once Alexander died, the convention was to show one of Zeus's feet positioned behind the other, so we know our coin was produced posthumously. The coin itself is called a drachm, and it was supposed to contain 4.2 grams of silver. As mentioned above, these coins are very very old, but not very, very rare. The precious few to survive 2300 years in good condition, along with those made while Alexander was still alive can command high prices, but there are an estimated 5.5 million of the other type -- the worn, depleted, punctured, dented, flattened, and otherwise weary coins made by Alexander's successors all over his far-flung empire. So all of this is by way of saying, no, this coin is not a replica, but no, it isn't rare. It IS an unfathomable two thousand plus years old, and it's dizzying to think of the things this coin has seen. Honoring all that history is Eytan's solid 18 karat gold "papier mâché" mounting; one of his favorite older designs, and one which looks great paired with the dark tarnished silver of the coin. This ring is substantial, comfortable and commanding -- a great woman's right hand ring or man's pinkie ring. Currently it's a size 7, but we will resize for full-price buyers at no charge. The front of the ring is about 21mm wide and tall. The band is 1.8mm thick and 5mm wide. The coin weighs 3.5 grams (showing 0.7 grams of depletion from its original 4.2 grams) and the ring weighs 20.6 grams.

Creator:
Eytan Brandes
Ring Size:
7 US, Resizable
Metal:
Gold,18k Gold,Yellow Gold,Silver
Weight:
20.6 g
Style:
Contemporary
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
2010-
Date of Manufacture:
2021
Condition:
Seller Location:
Sherman Oaks, CA
Reference Number:
Seller: FD03121stDibs: LU1673114602072