Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVI 26 Sep 2018
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Seleukid Empire, Seleukos I Nikator AV Distater. Uncertain mint in Cappadocia, Syria, or Mesopotamian, after 305 BC. Attic standard. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet ornamented with serpent on bowl / Nike standing left, holding wreath in right hand and stylis in left, monogram in lower left field; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ to left, ΣEΛEYKOY to right. SC 55 = HGC 9, 1 = Triton IX, 2065; WSM 1334 = Leu 20, 157 = M&M XIX, 518; NAC 79, 17 = JDL Collection 33 = SBV 21, 87 = SBV 6, lot 84; Roma IX, 35 (all from the same obverse die). 17.24g, 22mm, 2h.
Good Extremely Fine; minor marks. Of the highest rarity, one of only five specimens known, in exceptional state of preservation for the type, and of significant numismatic importance, being struck from a previously unknown reverse die.
From the "Triskeles" (Moutin) Collection, formed circa 1995-1998, Santa Barbara, CA.
It seems highly probable that the exceedingly rare distaters of Seleukos I were struck for some ceremonial or commemorative purpose rather than for circulation alongside the regular Alexandrine staters - the paucity of surviving specimens would seem to rule this out. That they were struck after 305 BC is certain, since the coins clearly name Seleukos as 'Basileos' - a title to which Seleukos did not lay claim until after 306 BC when following the extinction of the old royal line in 309 with the murder of Alexander IV and his mother Roxana at the hands of Kassander, Antigonos (who ruled over all of Asia Minor and Phoenicia) declared himself king.
Possible events that would have warranted the striking of such a grand type are the foundation of Seleukeia on the Tigris in 305/4, at which time Seleukos also claimed the title Basileos, or the defeat of Antigonos at the Battle of Ipsos in 301, a victory which seems to have been celebrated on the Seleukid coinage with the tetradrachms of Nike erecting a trophy of Macedonian arms. A later date also remains possible, since Alexandrine type staters continued to be struck into the 280s, and the defeat of Lysimachos at Korupedion in 281 also represents a momentous event for Seleukos' empire. This last battle of the diadochi gave Seleukos control of nearly every part of Alexander's former realm except for Ptolemaic Egypt. This reunification of the Macedonian empire was to be short lived however; not long after the battle, after crossing the Hellespont to take control of Lysimachos' European territories, Seleukos was assassinated by Ptolemy Keraunos.
The mint used to strike this issue is uncertain; Houghton & Lorber (SC I, p. 31) note that it must have been "a centre of commercial or strategic importance." Following Newell (WSM, pp. 236-0), who by a process of elimination assigned various unattributed issues to the north-central portion of Seleukos' realm and favoured an origin in Cappadocia or northern Mesopotamia, consider Tyana and Mazaca as possibilities in Cappadocia, and consider Le Rider's (Meydancikkale, p. 145) suggestion of Sekeukeia (due to controls on the distater series possibly representing variants of SC 119.9b) as tentative given the lack of an actual die link.
Regardless, what is abundantly evident is that this - the only issue of gold distaters of Alexandrine type in the name of Seleukos - should be regarded as an issue of considerable prestige and importance. Outside of Ptolemaic Egypt it was most unusual for any Greek kingdom to produce high denomination gold (or silver) coins, and even Alexander's distaters are, in comparison to the rest of his coinage, very rare. The discovery of a second reverse die for this issue is most significant - it demonstrates that the number of coins originally struck would have been much greater than we have hitherto thought.
Good Extremely Fine; minor marks. Of the highest rarity, one of only five specimens known, in exceptional state of preservation for the type, and of significant numismatic importance, being struck from a previously unknown reverse die.
From the "Triskeles" (Moutin) Collection, formed circa 1995-1998, Santa Barbara, CA.
It seems highly probable that the exceedingly rare distaters of Seleukos I were struck for some ceremonial or commemorative purpose rather than for circulation alongside the regular Alexandrine staters - the paucity of surviving specimens would seem to rule this out. That they were struck after 305 BC is certain, since the coins clearly name Seleukos as 'Basileos' - a title to which Seleukos did not lay claim until after 306 BC when following the extinction of the old royal line in 309 with the murder of Alexander IV and his mother Roxana at the hands of Kassander, Antigonos (who ruled over all of Asia Minor and Phoenicia) declared himself king.
Possible events that would have warranted the striking of such a grand type are the foundation of Seleukeia on the Tigris in 305/4, at which time Seleukos also claimed the title Basileos, or the defeat of Antigonos at the Battle of Ipsos in 301, a victory which seems to have been celebrated on the Seleukid coinage with the tetradrachms of Nike erecting a trophy of Macedonian arms. A later date also remains possible, since Alexandrine type staters continued to be struck into the 280s, and the defeat of Lysimachos at Korupedion in 281 also represents a momentous event for Seleukos' empire. This last battle of the diadochi gave Seleukos control of nearly every part of Alexander's former realm except for Ptolemaic Egypt. This reunification of the Macedonian empire was to be short lived however; not long after the battle, after crossing the Hellespont to take control of Lysimachos' European territories, Seleukos was assassinated by Ptolemy Keraunos.
The mint used to strike this issue is uncertain; Houghton & Lorber (SC I, p. 31) note that it must have been "a centre of commercial or strategic importance." Following Newell (WSM, pp. 236-0), who by a process of elimination assigned various unattributed issues to the north-central portion of Seleukos' realm and favoured an origin in Cappadocia or northern Mesopotamia, consider Tyana and Mazaca as possibilities in Cappadocia, and consider Le Rider's (Meydancikkale, p. 145) suggestion of Sekeukeia (due to controls on the distater series possibly representing variants of SC 119.9b) as tentative given the lack of an actual die link.
Regardless, what is abundantly evident is that this - the only issue of gold distaters of Alexandrine type in the name of Seleukos - should be regarded as an issue of considerable prestige and importance. Outside of Ptolemaic Egypt it was most unusual for any Greek kingdom to produce high denomination gold (or silver) coins, and even Alexander's distaters are, in comparison to the rest of his coinage, very rare. The discovery of a second reverse die for this issue is most significant - it demonstrates that the number of coins originally struck would have been much greater than we have hitherto thought.