Ancient Coin Stories

Macedonian shield coins are gorgeous little pieces of artistry. While I’m unsure whether the actual shields used in battle had as many details, the Macedonians were clearly proud of them. However, of all the shield coins, this one in my opinion takes the cake.

You get not one, but three shields for the price of one! For that reason, this was the first (and only at the time of this writing) coin that I’ve upgraded. Well, sort of. My original coin, shown below, is a half unit. This one is a full unit. So, they’re technically different.

This one is detailed enough to show the spearheads. Clearly the engraver was trying to fit as much as possible into this coin. However, what I’d love to know is the reasoning for the three shields.

As far as I can tell, these are three identical shields. Could one be for Eupolemos, one for the satrapy, and one for the kingdom (ruled by Kassander)? That’s probably a reach. It’s equally likely that Eupolemos just felt that three overlapping shields looked cool.

Another interesting aspect is why Eupolemos minted coins in his own name. Another general of Kassander, Pleistarchos – who was his brother, did not. His coins bore the name of Kassander. Did Eupolemos receive his own place to reign? Even this, so did Pleistarchos.

The sum of those mysteries is what makes this coin so intriguing.