Cappadocian Issue in Name of Antiochos VII

CNG 87, Lot: 600. Estimate $500. Sold for $1300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of CAPPADOCIA. Ariarathes VII Philometor. Circa 112/0-100 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 16.43 g, 12h). Struck in the name of Antiochos VII of Syria. Ariaratheia or Eusebia-Tyana mint(?). Struck circa 104-102 BC. Diademed head of Antiochos VII right / Athena Nikephoros standing left; to outer left, monogram above A; O to inner left, Λ to inner right; all within wreath. Lorber & Houghton series 1, issue 3, Engraver A (unlisted obv. die); SC 2148; HGC 9, 1069. Good VF, bright surfaces, struck with worn reverse die.

This issue belongs to a series of issues that have been die and control-mark linked to the coinage of the Cappadocian kings. Previously believed to be late issues from Antioch for Antiochos VII, a tetradrachm appeared in 2002 that was obverse die linked to the issue of the present coin and reverse die linked to the sole issue of tetradrachms bearing the name and portrait of Ariarathes VII. This discovery conclusively showed that this coinage in the name of Antiochos VII was actually a posthumous issue struck under the Cappadocian king. Further analysis of other issues in the name of Antiochos VII, of similar Antioch mint style, have shown that they are control-mark linked to issues of Ariarathes VII and other Cappadocian kings. Thus, these posthumous Antiochos VII issues constitute the vast majority of tetradrachms issued by the Cappadocian Kingdom. While the attribution of these coins to Cappadocia is now settled, their purpose, time of introduction, and the reason they employ the types of Antiochos VII are not certain. (For a full treatment of these issues, see Lorber & Houghton, esp. pp. 58-60, and E. Krengel and C.C. Lorber, "Early Cappadocian Tetradrachms in the Name of Antiochus VII," NC 2009, esp. pp. 68-71.)