ADAM'S Fine Jewellery & Ladies Watches 12th May 2026

143 This coin is a Tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, struck at Tarsus in Cilicia. It is a late lifetime issue – circa 327-323 BC. During the reign of Alexander the Great, the silver tetradrachm formed the backbone of an expand- ing imperial economy. Weighing around 17 grams, it was a high-value coin used to pay soldiers and facilitate trade across territories that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Near East, its con- sistent standard allowing it to circulate widely. The imagery is both clear and purposeful. Hera- cles, shown wearing the lion skin on the obverse, evokes strength and heroic virtue, while Zeus seated on the reverse, holding eagle and sceptre, represents authority and order. The inscription ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (“of Alexander”) served not only as identification, but as a guarantee of value and trust. Examples struck at Tarsos between 327 and 323 BC belong to the final years of Alexander’s life- time. Distinguished by the plough in the field, a characteristic mark of the Tarsos mint, this type reflects the scale and organisation of coin production during Alexander’s eastern cam- paigns. Struck by hand using engraved dies, each tetradrachm is unique, with subtle variations that set it apart from every other example. Many trav- elled vast distances in antiquity before being lost or buried, remaining hidden for over two millennia before their rediscovery. Comparable examples are recorded in the collec- tion of the American Numismatic Society: account number 1944.100.33654, and published referenc- es are Price, Martin Jessop, The Coinage in the name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidae- us : a British Museum catalogue, Zürich London : The Swiss Numismatic Society in association with British Museum Press, 1991 136 BULGARI: A COLLECTIBLE ‘MONETE’ PENDANT NEKCLACE, CIRCA 1980 Collet-set to the centre with a silver tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, the obverse portraying Heracles’ head wearing lion’s skin, the reverse depicting Zeus seating on his throne and inscribed ‘Alessandro Magno, Cilicia, M.1280’, suspended froma graduated curb-link chain, signed Bvlgari Italy 18K, withmaker’s pouch, length 38.5cm € 15,000 - 25,000 Accompanied by its insurance valuation from Bvlgari New York, Hotel Pierre, 2 East 61st Street, dated February 12th 1981. A similar necklace recently sold at Christie’s Geneva, 20 May 2025, for CHF 52,920.- lot 244.