Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXV 22-23 Sep 2022
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Seleukid Empire, Demetrios I Soter AR Tetradrachm. Ekbatana, circa 162-150 BC. Diademed head to right; before, head of horse to right; all within fillet border / Apollo seated to left on omphalos, testing arrow and resting left hand on grounded bow; BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, ΔHMHTPIOY to left, ΣΩTHPOΣ in exergue, KΛ to inner left, ΣP to outer right. SC -, but cf. 1719 and CNG 109, 303 (same obv. die, Tyche rev. type); for another unpublished example with this obv. control symbol, cf. Heritage Long Beach 3049, 30178; cf. HGC 9, 790d. 16.49g, 30mm, 7h.
Extremely Fine; traces of overstriking. Unpublished and seemingly unique.
This issue can be confidently attributed to Ekbatana due to the presence of the horse head mintmark on the obverse. Whilst well-attested on the coinage struck for Demetrios at Ekbatana, it is unusual to find this mintmark on the obverse except for the bronze issues (SC 1742ff). Only one other, also unique, tetradrachm has been recorded with this obverse mintmark (see references).
Remarkably this coin shares the same obverse die as a another unique specimen sold by CNG in 2018 (see references, also illustrated in SC for entry 1719) with a Tyche reverse type. No obverse mintmark is visible on this example however and therefore it is evident that the die was later recut to include the mintmark. The existence of this specimen therefore allows us to attribute SC 1719 (and possibly also 1720) with near certainty to the mint of Ekbatana.
Extremely Fine; traces of overstriking. Unpublished and seemingly unique.
This issue can be confidently attributed to Ekbatana due to the presence of the horse head mintmark on the obverse. Whilst well-attested on the coinage struck for Demetrios at Ekbatana, it is unusual to find this mintmark on the obverse except for the bronze issues (SC 1742ff). Only one other, also unique, tetradrachm has been recorded with this obverse mintmark (see references).
Remarkably this coin shares the same obverse die as a another unique specimen sold by CNG in 2018 (see references, also illustrated in SC for entry 1719) with a Tyche reverse type. No obverse mintmark is visible on this example however and therefore it is evident that the die was later recut to include the mintmark. The existence of this specimen therefore allows us to attribute SC 1719 (and possibly also 1720) with near certainty to the mint of Ekbatana.