Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3071 6-7 Jan 2019
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SELEUCID KINGDOM. Seleucus I Nicator (312-281 BC). AR tetradrachm (27mm, 17.18 gm, 3h). NGC MS★ 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style. Susa, ca. 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; dotted border / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ, Nike standing right, crowning trophy of arms; AP to lower left, facing radiate bust of Helios between Nike and trophy, ΠΑ monogram to lower right, dotted border. SC 173.16. ESMS Tr. 107-110. Superbly struck from stunningly detailed dies of fine style. A breathtaking masterpiece of Greek art.
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: 20000-30000 USD
SELEUCID KINGDOM. Seleucus I Nicator (312-281 BC). AR tetradrachm (27mm, 17.18 gm, 3h). NGC MS★ 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style. Susa, ca. 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; dotted border / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ, Nike standing right, crowning trophy of arms; AP to lower left, facing radiate bust of Helios between Nike and trophy, ΠΑ monogram to lower right, dotted border. SC 173.16. ESMS Tr. 107-110. Superbly struck from stunningly detailed dies of fine style. A breathtaking masterpiece of Greek art.
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: 20000-30000 USD