This Tetradrachm is Set in a Pendant Containing 1 Ruby (0.45 Carats); 2 Emeralds (0.50 Carats); 23 Diamonds (0.25) General and companion of Alexander the Great, Seleucus accompanied the conqueror in his victories from Asia Minor to India. Allotted the satrapy of Babylonia in 321, he was ousted five years later by Antigonos the One-eyed, and was forced to flee to his friend Ptolemy in Egypt. A highly skilled soldier and very determined, Seleucus regained his throne in 312; marking the beginning of the Seleucid empire. Alexander's successors retained the mint type of their former leader, as we see in this beautiful coin. The head of the young Heracles faces right wearing lion skin. On the reverse the father of the gods, Zeus, is seated holding a spear, with an eagle on his outstretched right hand. The king's name is at right. The Roman historian Arrian records that Seleucus was the, "greatest king of those who succeeded Alexander."(Arr.Anab.7.22.5). How fitting, therefore, for this noble ruler to be enshrined within a splendid setting of glittering gems.