Sale: Triton VIII, Lot: 205. Estimate $2000.  Closing Date: Monday, 10 January 2005.  Sold For $3300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MACEDON, Under Roman Rule. First Meris. Circa 167-148 BC. AR Didrachm (7.70 gm, 8h). Amphipolis mint. MAKE-DONWN, thunderbolt in the center of a Macedonian shield decorated with seven eight-pointed stars within double crescents, each separated by three pellets / PRWTHS MERIDOS, club; monogram below; all within oak wreath, star to left. Unpublished. Good VF, lightly toned, some horn silver, scratch on reverse, edge chip. Unique. ($2000)

After the defeat of Perseus at the battle of Pydna in 168 BC, the Romans divided Macedon into four separate autonomous administrative regions (merideV). The first (Proth MeriV) lay east of the Strymon with its capital at Amphipolis, the second (Deuterh) between the Strymon and Axios with its capital at Thessalonika, the third (Trith) between the Axios and Peneus with its capital at Pella, and the fourth (Tetarth) included most of Upper Macedonia with its capital at Heracleia Lynkoi. Livy informs us that initially all commerce between the regions, exploitation of the silver and gold mines, and the importation of salt were forbidden. Almost all the coinage of this period is struck in the name of the first region. No silver is known from the third and fourth regions, and only a small number of rare tetradrachms from the second region. These four regions only lasted until 148 BC when the country was finally united to constitute a Roman province. This unique didrachm is significant in two respects: It is the only coin on which MERIDOS is stated rather than implied as it is on the corresponding tetradrachms, and until its discovery, only tetradrachms were known to have been issued from the first meriV under the Roman authority.