175, Lot: 111. Estimate $150.
Sold for $645. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee. |
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SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Demetrios I Soter. 162-150 BC. AR Drachm (17mm, 3.95 g, 9h). Ekbatana mint; Philip and Theo-, magistrates. Dated SE 161 (152/1 BC). Diademed head right / Apollo Delphios seated left on omphalos, testing arrow and holding bow;
AXR (date) and
QEO to outer left,
FILIP to outer right. A. Houghton, "2. The Chronology of the Later Coinage of Demetrius I at Ecbatana," in "Four Seleucid Notes,"
AJN 5-6 (1993-94), 19 = Houghton 1262 = Houghton & Le Rider, "Un trésor de monnaies hellénistiques trouvé près de Suse,"
RN 1966, 74 (this coin); SNG Spaer 1384 (same obv. die); Le Rider, Suse pl. LXVII, 5 (same dies); Babelon,
Rois 757 (same obv.die); BMC 2 (same obv. die). VF, toned.
Ex Classical Numismatic Group 69 (8 June 2005), lot 560; Arthur Houghton Collection, 1262; Susiana, 1965 Hoard (ICGH 1806).
This rare issue of coinage, attributed to Ekbatana by Houghton, is interesting for a variety of reasons. The overall style and characteristics of the flan is distinctively different from the norm at Ekbatana during Demetrios' reign (see G.K. Jenkins, "Notes on Seleucid Coins," NC 1941, pp. 10-11 [not a coinage of Ekbatana]). However, two tetradrachms are known with this same magistrate that certainly belongs to Ekbatana (see Houghton, AJN 5-6, 12-13). The added date and epithet, as well as the magistrate's name, clearly suggest that this was a special issue, perhaps related to the celebrations of Demetrios' decennial as king. Houghton noted a variety of special issues related to this event that were issued from Ekbatana, and it is possible that a die engraver from another mint, or a highly skilled die engraver, was used for this particular issue. Such would be reasonable to assume, as the appearance of a magistrate's signature is very unusual at this time. Finally, the added epithet, Theo-, suggests that Demetrios was deified in this year - another possible occasion for this particular issue. The appearance of the date, also unusual at this time, would be reasonable to mark such an important event. As Demetrios had lasted far longer than many of the recent kings, and achieved numerous victories, it is possible that he was deified, but no other evidence exists of this. Another possibility is that Theo- is not an epithet, but rather the name of a second magistrate. The tetradrachms with Philip's name do have a second magistrate, Dio-. Philip may therefore be the magistrate over all of these issues, with Dio- and Theo- being subordinates, perhaps the respective engravers of the tetradrachms and drachms.
