Greek Silver & Bronze Coins - Celtic - Susanian

Lot 4261    SESSION 16 (9.30AM THURSDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER)    Greek Silver & Bronze Coins - Celtic - Susanian

Estimate $2,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au

SYRIA, Kingdom of, Antiochos I Soter. (281-261 B.C.), silver tetradrachm (16.99 g), Pergamon mint, struck under Philetairos in the name of Seleukos I, circa 279-274 B.C., obv. head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, rev. Zeus Aetophoros seated left, in left field, helmeted head of Athena right; oval below throne, to right **SELEUKOU*, below in exergue **BASILEWS*, (cf.S.6864. SC 308d, Newell WSM 1535, SNG Spaer 244 [same dies], Houghton 634 [same dies], HGC 9, 124 [illustration from the same dies] [R3], 125a). Good very fine, of fine style and very rare.

Ex Freeman & Sear Mail Bid Sale 8, February 5, 2003 (lot 199) and Noble Numismatics Sale 87 (lot 4235). The CNG Triton IX (10 January 2006) example (lot 1015) from the same dies realised $3250US. With collector ticket.
Philetairos' coinage for Seleucus I was probably suspended after his assassination. A revival of Alexandrine coinage in the name of Alexander was explained by Newell as a neutral gesture pending political uncertainties at the time. Similar was the coinage in the name of Seleucus issued early in the reign of Antiochus I (the above example). The obverse die is die-linked with tetradrachms in the name of Alexander. (SC p.119, see SC 307.1-2)