Kassander, 305-298 BCE AE
Struck under Pleistarchos 301-298 BCE

Although the name on the coin states Kassander, this coin was minted by his brother Pleistarchos, likely when he ruled Caria. Since Pleistarchos operated under his brother’s umbrella, he of course didn’t use his own name – even though Eupolemos, another of Kassander‘s generals, did do this.

Perhaps Pleistarchos didn’t use his own name to avoid complicated holiday party conversations. After all, Kassander was equally likely to be at all family gatherings, and Pleistarchos didn’t want to always explain why the king’s name wasn’t on the king’s coins.

Regardless, this is one of my favorite bronze pieces. It’s in extremely good condition given the type, and is practically an advertisement for “Kassander – Badass.”