Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 132 30-31 May 2022
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Philip II, 359 – 336 and posthumous issues
Stater, Amphipolis circa 323-315, AV 8.59 g. Laureate head of Apollo r. Rev. ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ Prancing biga r., driven by charioteer holding kentron and reins; below horses, cantharus. de Sartiges 194 (this coin). Gulbenkian 837 (these dies). Gillet 783 (this coin). Le Rider 256b (this coin).
An exceedingly rare issue, only two specimens known. Undoubtedly the finest portrait of the
entire series, the work of a talented master-engraver. An almost invisible trace of double
striking on obverse and light oxidation on reverse, otherwise good extremely fine
Ex M&M-Leu 28 May 1974, Kunstfreund, 231; NAC 8, 1995, 226 and NAC 84, 2015, 597 sales. From the Vicomte de Sartiges and Charles Gillet collections.
The gold staters of Philip II have always been appreciated for their late Classical artistry and for their historical interest. Once their types and the quality of their gold were established, the staters of Philip II became a preferred gold coinage, particularly in Thrace and in Celtic Europe, where they spawned many imitations during the Hellenistic period. The popularity of the coins caused them to be struck in Macedonia, and to a lesser extent in western Asia Minor, under Alexander the Great and the powerful generals who survived his death as the Diadochi ("Successors"). The types of Philip's staters serve to advertise his Hellenic qualities at a time when Macedonians were considered barbarians by many in mainland Greece yet the king had ambitions to dominate the Greek cities and lead them against the Persian Empire. Apollo was the Greek deity par excellence whose oracle at Delphi could influence the course of Greek affairs. Indeed, Philip's involvement in the Third Sacred War (356–346 BC) between the Amphictyonic League of Delphi and the Phocians earned him a seat on the league council with two votes. If he had not been an agent of Apollo, who was? Likewise, the chariot on the reverse advertises a victory won by Philip II in the Olympic games of 348 BC. As entry in the games was reserved only for those of Hellenic ancestry, the type also served to underline the Greek identity of Philip II and the Macedonians in general. This extremely rare stater was struck at the Macedonian mint of Amphipolis in the troubled period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the end of the Second Diadochic War (319-315 BC). Depending on at what point in this period the coin was struck, it may have been issued by Antipater, who ruled as regent for Alexander's empire until his death in 319 BC. Coins such as this would have been needed for paying veterans of Alexander's wars as they returned to Macedonia. They were also necessary to finance Antipater's own conflicts with the rebellious Greeks during the Lamian War (323-322 BC) and against Alexander's generals Perdiccas and Eumenes, who challenged his authority over the empire during the First Diadochic War (322-319 BC). Alternatively, if it was struck after 319 BC the stater was produced in the context of the struggle between Polyperchon, Antipater's successor as regent, and Cassander, Antipater's son who desired the regency. This conflict over Macedonia, which resulted in Cassander's assumption of the regency in 317 BC evolved into the wider struggle between the generals of Alexander the Great known as the Second Diadochic War.
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Stater, Amphipolis circa 323-315, AV 8.59 g. Laureate head of Apollo r. Rev. ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ Prancing biga r., driven by charioteer holding kentron and reins; below horses, cantharus. de Sartiges 194 (this coin). Gulbenkian 837 (these dies). Gillet 783 (this coin). Le Rider 256b (this coin).
An exceedingly rare issue, only two specimens known. Undoubtedly the finest portrait of the
entire series, the work of a talented master-engraver. An almost invisible trace of double
striking on obverse and light oxidation on reverse, otherwise good extremely fine
Ex M&M-Leu 28 May 1974, Kunstfreund, 231; NAC 8, 1995, 226 and NAC 84, 2015, 597 sales. From the Vicomte de Sartiges and Charles Gillet collections.
The gold staters of Philip II have always been appreciated for their late Classical artistry and for their historical interest. Once their types and the quality of their gold were established, the staters of Philip II became a preferred gold coinage, particularly in Thrace and in Celtic Europe, where they spawned many imitations during the Hellenistic period. The popularity of the coins caused them to be struck in Macedonia, and to a lesser extent in western Asia Minor, under Alexander the Great and the powerful generals who survived his death as the Diadochi ("Successors"). The types of Philip's staters serve to advertise his Hellenic qualities at a time when Macedonians were considered barbarians by many in mainland Greece yet the king had ambitions to dominate the Greek cities and lead them against the Persian Empire. Apollo was the Greek deity par excellence whose oracle at Delphi could influence the course of Greek affairs. Indeed, Philip's involvement in the Third Sacred War (356–346 BC) between the Amphictyonic League of Delphi and the Phocians earned him a seat on the league council with two votes. If he had not been an agent of Apollo, who was? Likewise, the chariot on the reverse advertises a victory won by Philip II in the Olympic games of 348 BC. As entry in the games was reserved only for those of Hellenic ancestry, the type also served to underline the Greek identity of Philip II and the Macedonians in general. This extremely rare stater was struck at the Macedonian mint of Amphipolis in the troubled period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the end of the Second Diadochic War (319-315 BC). Depending on at what point in this period the coin was struck, it may have been issued by Antipater, who ruled as regent for Alexander's empire until his death in 319 BC. Coins such as this would have been needed for paying veterans of Alexander's wars as they returned to Macedonia. They were also necessary to finance Antipater's own conflicts with the rebellious Greeks during the Lamian War (323-322 BC) and against Alexander's generals Perdiccas and Eumenes, who challenged his authority over the empire during the First Diadochic War (322-319 BC). Alternatively, if it was struck after 319 BC the stater was produced in the context of the struggle between Polyperchon, Antipater's successor as regent, and Cassander, Antipater's son who desired the regency. This conflict over Macedonia, which resulted in Cassander's assumption of the regency in 317 BC evolved into the wider struggle between the generals of Alexander the Great known as the Second Diadochic War.
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