Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 402 26 Jul 2017
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SELEUKID EMPIRE. Demetrios I Soter. 162-150 BC. AR Drachm (17mm, 4.09 g, 4h). Ekbatana mint. Diademed head right / Apollo, testing arrow and resting hand on bow, seated left on omphalos; piloi of the Dioskouri in exergue. SC –; cf. HGC 9, 803a. VF, toned, softly struck obverse. Apparently unique example with the soter epithet on the left, rather than the exergue, and with this control mark (piloi of the Dioskouri).
The piloi of the Dioskouri was previously used as a control mark at Ekbatana on an issue of drachms of Seleukos IV (SC 1362.2), where it also appeared in the exergue. All of the previously known drachms of Demetrios from Ekbatana, the epithet only appears in the exergue, as on the tetradrachms. Thus, this coin is likely either the first or last issue of drachms at Ekbatana, since both Demetrios's predecessor, Timarchos, and successor, Alexander I Balas, placed their epithets on the left side of their reverses, as here.
The piloi of the Dioskouri was previously used as a control mark at Ekbatana on an issue of drachms of Seleukos IV (SC 1362.2), where it also appeared in the exergue. All of the previously known drachms of Demetrios from Ekbatana, the epithet only appears in the exergue, as on the tetradrachms. Thus, this coin is likely either the first or last issue of drachms at Ekbatana, since both Demetrios's predecessor, Timarchos, and successor, Alexander I Balas, placed their epithets on the left side of their reverses, as here.