Hellenistic Masterpiece
KINGS of PERGAMON. Philetairos. 282-263 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 17.04 g, 11h). Pergamon mint. Struck circa 269/8-263. Diademed head of Seleukos I right / ΦIΛETAIPOY, Athena enthroned left, resting right hand on shield to left, holding transverse spear over left shoulder and resting left elbow on sphinx-decorated throneback;, ivy leaf to above, AΘ monogram on throne, bow to right. Ingvaldsen,
Philetaerus 8 (dies VIII/24 – this coin); Newell,
Pergamene 15 (dies XIX/– [unlisted rev. die]); SC 309.5b; SNG France 1601 (same obv. die); Hunt 104 = Hunt Sale I 105; Leu 81, lot 256 (same obv. die). EF, beautiful cabinet toning with traces of iridescent blue, a few light marks under tone. A masterpiece of Hellenistic portaiture.
From the JP Collection. Ex Leu 45 (26 May 1988), lot 203.
When Lysimachos established the mint of Pergamon, he entrusted its treasury to the eunuch Philetairos. Philetairos changed his allegiance to Seleukos I, probably shortly before the Battle of Korupedion in 281 BC, where Seleukos defeated Lysimachos. Although Seleukos was assassinated the following year, Philetairos struck a series of Alexander-type issues in the name of Seleukos. Philetairos continued to acknowledge Seleukid primacy for some time, but soon struck a coinage in his own name. This coinage featured Athena Nikephoros on the reverse, similar to the reverses of Lysimachos. Perhaps because this move might have been viewed as a threat by his Seleukid overlord, the obverse of the first issues of these coins featured the portrait of Seleukos I. Houghton & Lorber (SC), citing Le Rider and Newell, assign this coinage to the aftermath of Antiochos I's victory over the Galatians, circa 269/8 BC. Near the end of Philetairos’ reign, in the mid-late 260s, the portrait of Seleukos was replaced with the portrait of the Pergamene king, noting a final break from Seleukid authority. Similar to what was done in Ptolemaic Egypt, all of the subsequent kings of Pergamon continued to use these types on the coinage, and even kept Philetairos’ name. Distinguishing the issues between the various rulers has been difficult for numismatists. Westermark’s die study of the coinage, however, provided the key necessary for understanding the series, although more recent hoard evidence has refined Westermark’s assignment of the issues.
