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Research Coins: Electronic Auction

 
141, Lot: 40. Estimate $200.
Sold for $260. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of PAEONIA. Patraos. Circa 335-315 BC. AR Tetrobol (14mm, 2.07 g, 4h). Laureate head of Apollo right / Eagle standing right; bust(?) to lower right. AMNG III -; cf. SNG ANS 1048/1052 ([same obv. die; drachm] / [same rev. die; tetrobol]); BMC -; cf. SNG Copenhagen 1392 (drachm; same obv. die). VF, toned, struck with worn obverse die. Unpublished Lykkeios/Patraos mule.



The obverse type of Apollo's head, laureate with long hair, is the common type on all of the fractional silver coinage of Patraos' predecessor, Lykkeios (see, eg., McClean pl. 137, 12; Pozzi 2088; and Traité pl. 328, 5-6). It is quite rare on Patros' coinage, and is only known from one die, which itself is only known on two published drachms (see refs. above). The ususal obverse on Patraos’ coinage is of Apollo diademed with short hair. It is quite possible that the two drachms and the present tetrobol represent the earliest coinage of Patraos. At the beginning of his reign, expediency may have necessitated using an obverse die of Lykkeios, while engravers only having enough time to create reverse dies in their new king's name. The wear found on the obverse of these three coins of Patraos compared to the "freshness" of their reverse dies is suggestive of such.