Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3066 17 Aug 2018
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SELEUCID KINGDOM. Seleucus I Nicator (312-281 BC). AR tetradrachm (26mm, 17.08 gm, 12h). NGC Choice AU ★ 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Susa, circa 305-295 BC. Head of Seleucus I right, wearing Attic helmet covered with panther skin and adorned with bull's horns and ear, panther skin tied around neck / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ | ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ, Nike standing right, crowning trophy of arms, AP to lower left, ΠΑ monogram between Nike and trophy. SC 173.15. ESMS Tr. 106. Incredibly detailed in fine style, this coin is stunning in hand. Lustrous surfaces with contrasting toning in the recesses assist in bringing to life what is already a high-relief masterpiece.
Debate has long swirled regarding the identity of the 'helmeted hero' appearing on the obverse of this type - is it Seleucus I, or Alexander the Great, or a composite demigod incorporating features of Seleucus, Alexander and Dionysus? In the Handbook of Syrian Coins (CNG, 2009), Oliver Hoover opts for identifying the portrait as an idealized image of Seleucus I himself. The reverse design of Nike crowning trophy, in fine style on this example, was paralleled by a nearly simultaneous issue of the Syracusan tyrant Agathocles hundreds of miles away. The motif would prove highly influential in both Greek and Roman coins for centuries to come.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD
SELEUCID KINGDOM. Seleucus I Nicator (312-281 BC). AR tetradrachm (26mm, 17.08 gm, 12h). NGC Choice AU ★ 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Susa, circa 305-295 BC. Head of Seleucus I right, wearing Attic helmet covered with panther skin and adorned with bull's horns and ear, panther skin tied around neck / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ | ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ, Nike standing right, crowning trophy of arms, AP to lower left, ΠΑ monogram between Nike and trophy. SC 173.15. ESMS Tr. 106. Incredibly detailed in fine style, this coin is stunning in hand. Lustrous surfaces with contrasting toning in the recesses assist in bringing to life what is already a high-relief masterpiece.
Debate has long swirled regarding the identity of the 'helmeted hero' appearing on the obverse of this type - is it Seleucus I, or Alexander the Great, or a composite demigod incorporating features of Seleucus, Alexander and Dionysus? In the Handbook of Syrian Coins (CNG, 2009), Oliver Hoover opts for identifying the portrait as an idealized image of Seleucus I himself. The reverse design of Nike crowning trophy, in fine style on this example, was paralleled by a nearly simultaneous issue of the Syracusan tyrant Agathocles hundreds of miles away. The motif would prove highly influential in both Greek and Roman coins for centuries to come.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD