Skostokos AR Tetradrachm | An Extremely Rare Lysimachos Type

KINGS of THRACE, Local Dynasts. Skostokos. Circa 285/4-273/2 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.17 g). Struck circa 280 BC.

Obverse: Diademed head of the deified Alexander the Great facing right, with horn of Ammon over his ear.

Reverse: Athena Nikephoros seated left, arm resting on shield, transverse spear in background; to inner left, cult image set on throne.

Mint: Ainos (?).

Provenance: Ex Jean Vinchon Numismatique, May 2025 Auction, Lot 12.

Notes: Very rare; only six examples noted by Fischer-Bossert, six additionally in CoinArchives.

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Skostokos of Ainos

In the chaos that followed the fall of Lysimachos, as rival powers scrambled to claim the remnants of his fractured realm, one figure stood firm: Skostokos. Long thought to be a mere opportunist who rose from the shadows to seize parts of Thrace, new evidence has dramatically reshaped this narrative. Fischer-Bossert’s groundbreaking die study reveals a very different picture—Skostokos was not a usurper, but a sanctioned local dynast based near Ainos, operating under the authority of Lysimachos himself.

Far from defying royal power, Skostokos was permitted to strike Lysimachos-type coins during the king’s final years, a privilege that underscores both trust and status within the waning Lysimachid regime. His coinage, bearing the name and symbols of a dying empire, became a striking emblem of continuity amid the disintegration of Hellenistic order.

Current scholarship, including E. Paunov’s contribution to A Companion to Ancient Thrace (p. 280, fig. 18.4), dates Skostokos’ rule to roughly 285/4–273/2 BC. Remarkably, even after Lysimachos' death, Skostokos continued minting Lysimachos-types—coins that rang out not only as currency but as a political statement, resisting the encroaching tide of Seleukid authority in Thrace.

Riferimento : Fischer-Bossert, Lysimacheier C7 (V c6/R c7); Thompson 257 var. (extra control marks); Müller 114; HGC 3, 1750r; Weber 2727 (same dies).

Collezione : Virgo Ancients