348, Lot: 62. Estimate $75. Sold for $130. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy IV or Ptolemy V. 222-205/4 BC or 204-180 BC. Æ (30mm, 20.72 g, 11h). Alexandreia mint. Series 6. Bearded head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress / Eagle with closed wings standing left on thunderbolt. Svoronos 1492 (Joint reign of Ptolemy VI and VIII); Weiser 127 (Ptolemy V); SNG Copenhagen 333 (Ptolemy VIII); Noeske 251 (Ptolemy VIII); Lorber & Faucher Series 6A. VF, reddish-brown patina with touches of green.

From the J. P. Righetti Collection, 111.

Per Cathy Lorber: “With this series, there was a reform in the accounting system and monetary terminology in Egypt. The traditional divisional system of a drachm equivalent to 6 obols or 48 chalkoi was replaced or supplemented by a new system based on multiples of a (new) drachm that was the smallest unit of the system. Cyprus and Cyrene retained the traditional system, so you can still refer to Cypriote and Cyrenian coins as obols, diobols, etc.”

At this time, there is not any consensus as to the actual denominations, so we will not label them as to face value for Series 6 or later for the Alexandreia mint.

CNG is pleased to offer a large selection of Ptolemaic coins from the J. P. Righetti Collection. This group of coins is mostly comprised of diverse varieties of bronze issues from the beginning to the end of the Ptolemaic kingdom. The classification of many Ptolemaic bronze issues has been highly debated among numismatists, often with researchers publishing highly divergent attributions to various kings, and also in the naming of the denominations used. For this selection, we generally followed the attributions and denominations given on Dan Wolf’s website, www.ptolemybronze.com, who has been closely working with noted numismatic scholar, Catharine Lorber. The first of Cathy’s books on the Ptolemaic coinage, which will supplant the long outdated Svoronos, is imminently forthcoming, and we would like to thank her for reviewing this special offering. Her conclusions regarding each coin’s issuer, denomination, and mint are followed herein.