Antigonid Dynasty Coins: A Collector's Guide to Macedon's Last Kings
Collecting the Coins of the Antigonid Dynasty
306 to 168 BC, Alexander's successors, Macedon's last kings, and the road to Rome.
The Antigonid dynasty ruled Macedon for most of the final century and a half of independent Macedonian kingship, from the generation of Alexander the Great's successors to the Roman victory at Pydna in 168 BC.
The dynasty took its name from Antigonus I Monophthalmus, one of Alexander's most powerful generals. His son Demetrius I Poliorcetes briefly became king of Macedon. The line became securely established under Antigonus II Gonatas and continued through Demetrius II Aetolicus, Antigonus III Doson, Philip V, and Perseus.
Antigonid coins are therefore not the coins of Alexander's own Argead dynasty. They belong to a successor house that inherited Macedon's political and military traditions and consciously operated in the shadow of Philip II and Alexander. Their coinage ranges from spectacular Hellenistic silver tetradrachms to practical bronze issues with shields, helmets, clubs, eagles, and other symbols of Macedonian kingship.
The Dynasty
- Antigonus I Monophthalmus, one of the original Diadochi, king from 306 to 301 BC, killed at Ipsus; much of his coinage continued Alexander-type designs rather than a fully developed personal royal series
- Demetrius I Poliorcetes, king 306 to 283 BC and ruler of Macedon for part of that period, famous for Nike-on-prow silver and naval imagery tied to his victories
- Antigonus II Gonatas, established durable Antigonid control of Macedon in the third century BC; his coinage is an important entry point into the mature dynasty
- Demetrius II Aetolicus, ruled 239 to 229 BC; his coinage is less familiar to general collectors and often requires specialist attribution
- Antigonus III Doson, ruled 229 to 221 BC as guardian and king before Philip V; his military successes restored Macedonian influence in Greece
- Philip V, ruled 221 to 179 BC, fought Rome in the First and Second Macedonian Wars, defeated at Cynoscephalae in 197 BC
- Perseus, ruled 179 to 168 BC, last Antigonid king, defeated by Rome at Pydna and captured
What Did Antigonid Coins Look Like?
There is no single Antigonid coin design. The dynasty's coinage changed across more than a century and varied by ruler, denomination, mint, and political context.
Alexander-Type Coinage
Early successors frequently continued the widely accepted silver types of Alexander the Great, especially the Herakles/Zeus tetradrachm. These coins could be struck in a successor's territory or under his authority without showing his portrait. Attribution depends on mint symbols, monograms, style, and specialist references.
Demetrius Poliorcetes and Naval Imagery
Demetrius I produced some of the most dramatic early Hellenistic royal silver, including types with Nike standing on the prow of a warship. These refer to naval victory and royal power and are among the great artistic achievements of the successor period.
Macedonian Shield Bronzes
Bronze issues under later Antigonid rulers often use Macedonian shields, helmets, clubs of Herakles, eagles, thunderbolts, and royal monograms. Because many bronzes are small and legends incomplete, attribution should not be based on a shield or club alone. Weight, diameter, monogram, reverse type, and reference match matter.
Philip V and Perseus Silver
The large silver of Philip V and Perseus represents the late artistic high point of Antigonid coinage. Perseus's tetradrachms are especially admired for their realistic royal portraiture, while Philip V issues preserve the strong military and divine symbolism of late Hellenistic kingship.
How Rome Ended the Dynasty
The Antigonid confrontation with Rome unfolded over several generations. Philip V fought Rome in the First Macedonian War and was decisively defeated in the Second Macedonian War at Cynoscephalae in 197 BC. He retained his throne but lost territory and strategic freedom.
His son Perseus inherited a stronger kingdom but faced Rome in the Third Macedonian War. At Pydna in 168 BC, Lucius Aemilius Paullus defeated the Macedonian phalanx. Perseus surrendered, and the monarchy was abolished. Macedon was divided into separate republics before becoming a Roman province later in the second century BC.
The dynasty therefore gives collectors a compact way to study the transition from the Hellenistic successor kingdoms to Roman supremacy.
How to Build an Antigonid Collection
Start here. Choose an identifiable bronze of Antigonus II Gonatas, Philip V, or Perseus with readable royal monograms or a secure reference match. Bronzes are usually more approachable than the major silver and provide a good introduction to shield, helmet, and military iconography.
Build the dynasty. Add Demetrius Poliorcetes for the early successor generation, then Antigonus II Gonatas, Philip V, and Perseus. That four-ruler framework tells the essential story from the Wars of the Diadochi to Rome.
Go deeper. Pursue silver tetradrachms of Demetrius, Philip V, and Perseus, compare mint styles, or build a Macedonian shield collection across rulers. Advanced collectors can focus on control marks and specialist attributions rather than ruler alone.
Antigonid coinage is one of the best ways to collect the entire arc of the Hellenistic age in one dynasty. It begins with Alexander's generals fighting over the remains of his empire and ends with the Roman legions dismantling the last independent Macedonian monarchy. The coins change with that history: Alexander types, naval victory silver, shield bronzes, realistic royal portraits, and finally the last tetradrachms of Perseus. The dynasty did not descend from Alexander, but its rulers inherited the world he left behind, and their coins show what happened to that world when Rome arrived.
Hold what the greats held.
Browse Greek and Macedonian Coins at Kinzer Coins
Authentic ancient Greek coins from Macedon, the successor kingdoms, and the classical world, NGC-certified where available, guaranteed authentic, with 30-day returns.
Browse Greek Coins