Unpublished Ascalon Tetradrachm of Macrinus

Triton XXII, Lot: 736. Estimate $1500. Sold for $4500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

JUDAEA, Ascalon. Macrinus. AD 217-218. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 14.06 g, 12h). AVT KAI ΟΠ CЄ MAKPЄIИOC, laureate head right / ΔHM-APX ЄΞ VΠA, eagle standing facing on palm frond, head left, with wings spread, holding wreath in beak; below, dove standing right, holding olive branch in beak. Prieur –; Bellinger –; Sofaer –. VF, toned. Extremely rare and possibly unique.

From the Michel Prieur Collection. Ex L. Schulman 29 (10 November 2003), lot 2393; Glendining (10 March 1965), lot 218.

A great rarity missed by Prieur when compiling his book. He did, however, record a single tetradrachm of Diadumenian, so the appearance of an issue for Macrinus is not surprising.