Second-Known Philip II Type Stater from Rhodes

Triton XVI, Lot: 501. Estimate $1500. Sold for $2800. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ISLANDS off CARIA, Rhodos. Rhodes. Circa 250-230 BC. AV Stater (17mm, 8.55 g, 12h). In the name and types of Philip II. Mnasimachos, magistrate. Head of Apollo right, wearing laurel wreath / ΦIΛIΠΠ•Y, charioteer, holding kentron in right hand, reins in left, driving biga right; [MNAΣIMAXOΣ above (only illegible traces visible)], rose and PO below. Ashton 211 = HGC 6, 1410 = Müller 308 = Earl of Ashburnham Collection (Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 6 May 1895), lot 67 = Lord Northwick Collection (Sotheby & Wilkinson, 5 December 1859), lot 610 = J. Millingen, Ancient Coins of Greek Cities and Kings: From various collections principally in Great Britain (London, 1831), pp. 44-5, pl. III, 9 (same obv. die). VF, light scratches on cheek. Extremely rare, the second known.

While most people are familiar with the relatively common posthumous Philip II type staters from western Asia Minor that were struck during the reign of Philip III (cf. Thompson, Philip), there are a few very rare issues struck in the third century BC. Most of these are unable to be assigned to particular mints, but are likely from southwest Asia Minor (cf. M. Price, “Greek Coin Hoards in the British Museum” in NC 1969, pp. 9-10). Unlike those issues, which have various monograms that are not recognized civic monograms, the present issue has both the standard Rhodian symbol, the rose, and civic ethnic as it appears on contemporary coins of Rhodian type. Thus, the attribution to Rhodes is certain, as is the dating of the issue to circa 250-230 BC, when this magistrate, Mnasimachos, was one of four magistrates who struck an extensive series of Rhodian didrachms. The purpose for this unprecedented late Philip II type stater issue is uncertain, but Ashton speculates it might be connected to the Second Syrian War (see Ashton, p. 93), and it may have been struck at the same time as another of Mnasimachos' fellow magistrates, Agesidamos, produced a gold stater issue of Rhodian type (Ashton 210).