| Eagles on Ancient Coins |  |
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| Seleucid Kingdom, Seleukos I Nikator, 312 - 281 B.C., Babylonia, in the Name of Alexander the Great |   | Price dates this type 311 - 305 B.C. Houghton dates it 311 - 300 B.C. Houghton notes that Kritt down-dated the chronology due to the complexity of the emissions and two hoards that support the revised dating. Since it seems Antigonus managed to conquer Babylon in 310 B.C., the type should be dated after Seleukos recovered the city. |
| SH58199. Silver tetradrachm, Houghton-Lorber I 82.3m, Price 3769, aVF, weight 17.030 g, maximum diameter 26.8 mm, die axis 90o, Babylon I mint, c. 309 - 300 B.C.; obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; reverse ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ, Zeus Aëtophoros enthroned left, eagle in right, long scepter vertical behind in left, right leg drawn back, MI above labrys (double-axe) left, monogram within wreath below throne; $360.00 (€277.20) |
| Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II (Physcon), Second Reign, 145 - 116 B.C. |  | Ptolemy VIII and his older brother Ptolemy VI ruled jointly from 170 to 164 B.C. The brothers disagreed and Ptolemy VIII was forced to withdraw to Kyrenaica, which he ruled. After his brother's death, in 145 B.C., he claimed the throne and married Cleopatra II (his brother's widow and also his sister). Later he married Cleopatra III (his niece and stepdaughter) after which relations with Cleopatra II were strained. Ptolemy VIII was unpopular with the Alexandrians, who nicknamed him Physkon (pot belly). --- Greek Coins and Their Values by David R. Sear |
| SH63045. Silver tetradrachm, Svoronos 1615, SNG Cop 608, SNG Milan -, Noeske -, BMC Ptolemies -, VF, weight 13.344 g, maximum diameter 23.9 mm, die axis 0o, Cyprus, Kitium mint, 119 - 118 B.C.; obverse diademed bust right wearing aegis; reverse ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, LNB (year 52) left, KI right; scarce mint and coin; $350.00 (€269.50) |
| Mark Antony, Triumvir and Imperator, 44 - 30 B.C., LEG XVI |  | This may have been a legion disbanded by Augustus. The legion XVI Gallica probably fought for Octavian. |
| SH63658. Silver denarius, Crawford 544/31, Sydenham 1236, BMCRR 211, RSC I 48, aVF, weight 3.725 g, maximum diameter 18.9 mm, die axis 45o, Patrae? mint, 32 - 31 B.C.; obverse ANT•AVG / III VIR•R•P•C, galley right with rowers, mast with banners at prow, border of dots; reverse LEG - XVI, legionary eagle between two standards, border of dots; $350.00 (€269.50) |
| Macedonian Kingdom, Alexander III The Great, 336 - 323 B.C. |  | Struck in the name of Alexander by Seleukos or Peithon. Seleukos was made satrap in Babylonia in 320 B.C. but was put to flight by Antigonus Monophthalmus in 315. Antigonus made Peithon satrap of Babylonia. Seleukos recovered the city in 311 only to be forced to evacuate later that year by a counterattack by Antigonus' son, Demetrius. Not long after, however, Seleukos again recovered the city. |
| SH63691. Silver tetradrachm, Price 3713, Müller Alexander 717, VF, nice style, weight 16.559 g, maximum diameter 27.2 mm, die axis 270o, Babylon mint, posthumous, 317 - 311 B.C.; obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; reverse ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ, Zeus enthroned left, eagle in right, long scepter vertical behind in left, right leg drawn back, monogram in wreath left, ΚΛ below throne; $350.00 (€269.50) |
| Macedonian Kingdom, Alexander III The Great, 336 - 323 B.C., Lifetime issue |  | Lifetime issue. This coin was issued during the lifetime and rule of Alexander the Great. Most Alexander coins were issued after his death. |
| SH60133. Silver tetradrachm, Price 2993, gF, weight 16.891 g, maximum diameter 24.7 mm, die axis 225o, Cilicia, Tarsos mint, c. 333 - 327 B.C.; obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; reverse ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ, Zeus enthroned left, legs uncrossed, eagle in right, long scepter vertical in left, A under throne; $340.00 (€261.80) |
| Caracalla, 28 January 198 - 8 April 217 A.D., Akko-Ptolemais, Phoenicia |  | Ptolemais was a maritime city of Galilee (Acts 21:7). It was originally Accho, but was renamed Ptolemais under the rule of Ptolemy Soter. |
| SH60148. Silver tetradrachm, Prieur 1222, gVF, weight 13.842 g, maximum diameter 25.1 mm, die axis 330o, Akko-Ptolemais mint, 215 - 217 A.D.; obverse AYT K M A ANTΩNEINOC CEB, laureate head right; reverse ∆ΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞ ΥΠΑΤΟC ΤΟ ∆, facing eagle, head left, holding wreath in beak, wings spread, stars above caps of Dioscuri between legs; minor encrustions, attractive style; $340.00 (€261.80) |
| Philip I the Arab, February 244 - End of September 249 A.D., Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria |  | MON VRB stands for MONETA VRBIS. According to H. R. Baldus this initial issue of coins was minted in Rome. Indeed the portrait style is unmistakably that of the mint of Rome, and even if the coins were actually minted in Antioch, the dies were surely engraved by the Rome mint. |
| SH60142. Billon tetradrachm, McAlee 899, Prieur 304, BMC Syria 507, EF, coppery encrustations, weight 10.570 g, maximum diameter 27.4 mm, die axis 45o, Rome or Antioch mint, 244 or 246 A.D.; obverse ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ CΕΒ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, from behind; reverse ∆ΗΜΑΡC ΕΞΟΥCΙΑC, eagle standing facing on ground line, wings open, head and tail left, wreath in beak, S - C below wings, MON VRB in ex; areas of light corrosion, uncirculated sharp detail, mint luster; $335.00 (€257.95) |
| Philip II, July or August 247 - Late 249 A.D., Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria |  | In 249, after his legionaries proclaimed him emperor, Trajan Decius marched them to Verona, where he defeated and killed Philip I. Philip's eleven-year-old son and heir was likely killed with his father. |
| SH60144. Billon tetradrachm, McAlee 1043, Prieur 473; BMC Syria 559; cf. SNG Cop 268 (attributed to Philip I), EF, weight 14.347 g, maximum diameter 27.7 mm, die axis 180o, Antioch mint, 248 - 249 A.D.; obverse ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC CΕΒ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right from behind; reverse ∆ΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥCΙΑC ΥΠΑ ΤΟ ∆, eagle standing left, wings open, head left, wreath in beak, ANTIOXIA / S C below; a little light corrosion, toned, some remaining luster, sharp detail; $335.00 (€257.95) |
| Syracuse, Sicily, Timoleon, 344 - 336 B.C. |  | Threatened by Carthage and dominated by Hiketas, the tyrant of Leontini, Syracusans sent an appeal for help to their mother city, Corinth. By a unanimous vote Corinth selected Timoleon to set sail for Sicily with a few leading citizens of Corinth and a small troop of Greek mercenaries. After defeating Hiketas, Timoleon put order to Syracuse' affairs and established a democratic government. He repelled Carthage in several wars, ending with a treaty which divided the island. Timoleon then retired without any title or office, though he remained practically supreme. He became blind before his death, but when important issues were under discussion he was carried to the assembly to give his opinion, which was usually accepted. When he died the citizens of Syracuse erected a monument to his memory, afterwards surrounded with porticoes, and a gymnasium called Timoleonteum. |
| SH56004. Bronze hemidrachm, Calciati II p. 168, 72 st 3; SNG ANS 477 ff.; SNG Cop 727;, VF, weight 15.209 g, maximum diameter 23.8 mm, die axis 180o, Syracuse mint, c. 342 - 338 B.C.; obverse ΖΕΥΣΕΑ − ΕΥ−ΘΕΡΤΟΣ, laureate head of Zeus Eleutherios right; reverse ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ, thunderbolt; on right, eagle with wings closed standing right; $330.00 (€254.10) |
| Macedonian Kingdom, Alexander III The Great, 336 - 323 B.C., Lifetime issue |  | Lifetime issue. This coin was issued during the lifetime and rule of Alexander the Great. Most Alexander coins were issued after his death. |
| SH60132. Silver tetradrachm, Price 3000, gF, weight 16.787 g, maximum diameter 24.8 mm, die axis 225o, Cilicia, Tarsos mint, c. 333 - 327 B.C.; obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; reverse ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ, Zeus enthroned left, legs uncrossed, eagle in right, long scepter vertical in left, B under throne; $330.00 (€254.10) |
| Aspendus, Pamphylia, 188 - 187 B.C., In the Name of Alexander the Great |  | After Alexander took Perga peacefully, Aspendos sent envoys to offer surrender if he would not take the taxes and horses formerly paid as tribute to the Persian king. Agreeing, Alexander went on to Side, leaving a garrison behind. When he learned they had failed to ratify the agreement their own evnvoys had proposed, Alexander marched to the city. The Aspendians retreated to their acropolis and again sent envoys to sue for peace. This time, however, they had to agree to harsh terms - they would host a Macedonian garrison and pay 100 gold talents and 4.000 horses annually.
At the time this coin was struck, the territory of Aspendos was surrounded by the Attalid's Pergamene Kingdom but retained independence. |
| SH59445. Silver tetradrachm, Price 2904, Müller Alexander 1217, Cohen DCA 312, gF, weight 15.885 g, maximum diameter 29.5 mm, die axis 0o, Aspendos mint, 188 - 187 B.C.; obverse Herakles' head right, clad in Nemean lion scalp headdress tied at neck; Seleukid countermark: anchor in a rectangluar punch; reverse ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ, Zeus enthroned left, eagle extended in right, long scepter vertical behind in left, wreath above ΑΣ / ΚΕ left (year 25 Era of Aspendos); $325.00 (€250.25) |
| Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemy IV Philopator, 221 - 204 B.C. |  | Ptolemy IV's surname, Philopator, means father lover, ironic since according to some authorities he poisoned his father. Ptolemy IV is a major protagonist of the apocryphal 3 Maccabees, which describes events following the Battle of Raphia, in both Jerusalem and Alexandria. He was a cruel and evil monarch. |
| SH59538. Bronze drachm, Svoronos 992; Weiser 60 (Ptolemy III, 247 - 243 B.C.); SNG Cop 205; SNG Milan 216, Noeske 147, Hosking 36, BMC Ptolemies p. 74, 71 (Ptolemy V), aVF, weight 73.463 g, maximum diameter 41.2 mm, die axis 0o, Alexandria mint, obverse horned head of Zeus Ammon right, wearing taenia; reverse ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings closed, filleted cornucopia left, ΣΕ monogram between eagle's legs; a massive 73 gram Ptolemaic bronze!; $325.00 (€250.25) |
| Macedonian Kingdom, Seleukos, Satrap in Babylon, 311 - 306 B.C., In the Name of Alexander the Great |  | Struck in the name of Alexander, this coin also bears the personal badge of Seleukos, an anchor. Seleukos was first appointed satrap in Babylonia in 320 B.C. but was put to flight by Antigonus in 315. He returned in 311 only to be forced to evacuate later that year by a counterattack by Antigonus' son, Demetrius. Not long after, however, Seleukos again recovered the city. |
| SH60135. Silver tetradrachm, Houghton and Lorber 293, Price 3449 (Marthus), Müller Alexander 1512, aVF/F, weight 16.601 g, maximum diameter 27.0 mm, die axis 225o, uncertain mint, c. 311 - 305 B.C.; obverse head of Herakles right, wearing Nemean lion scalp headdress; reverse ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ, Zeus enthroned left, eagle in right, scepter in left, right leg drawn back, anchor flukes up flanked by ∆ - I in left field, monogram under throne; $325.00 (€250.25) |
| Judaea (Yehudah), Ptolemaic Rule, Ptolemy II Philadelphos, 285 - 246 B.C. |  | Ptolemy II requested copies of Jewish texts for the Library at Alexandria. There they were translated and transcribed by seventy Jewish scholars hired for the purpose, creating the Septuagint, the oldest Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Many of the oldest Biblical verses among the Dead Sea Scrolls, particularly those in Aramaic, correspond more closely with the Septuagint than with the Hebrew text. |
| JD37184. Silver quarter-ma'ah-obol, Meshorer TJC 32b; Mildenberg Yehud pl. 21, 24; Hendin 1087, VF, off center, weight 0.190 g, maximum diameter 6.73 mm, die axis 45o, obverse diademed head of Ptolemy I right; reverse Aramaic inscription on left: YHDH (Yehudah), eagle standing half left on thunderbolt, wings open, head left; $320.00 (€246.40) |
| Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemy I Soter, 305 - 285 B.C. |  | Minted in Alexandria, then the new capital of Egypt. After capturing Jerusalem, Ptolemy carried 100,000 prisoners to Alexandria to populate his new city. His liberality and grants of privileges eventually transformed these prisoners into the most faithful of his subjects. |
SH59556. Silver tetradrachm, Svoronos 247; Noeske 25 (288 - 287 B.C.); BMC Ptolemies p. 23, 84; SNG Copenhagen -; Hosking -; Malter -, F, banker's marks, weight 13.765 g, maximum diameter 26.0 mm, die axis 15o, Alexandria mint, c. 294 - 285 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis, small D behind ear; reverse PTOLEMAIOU BASILEWS , eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings closed, head left, P over A in left field; $320.00 (€246.40) |
| Philip I the Arab, February 244 - End of September 249 A.D., Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria |  | MON VRB stands for MONETA VRBIS. According to H. R. Baldus this initial issue of coins was minted in Rome. Indeed the portrait style is unmistakably that of the mint of Rome, and even if the coins were actually minted in Antioch, the dies were surely engraved by the Rome mint. |
| SH60149. Billon tetradrachm, McAlee 899, Prieur 304, BMC Syria 507, EF, weight 13.825 g, maximum diameter 27.6 mm, die axis 0o, Rome or Antioch mint, 244 or 246 A.D.; obverse ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ CΕΒ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, from behind; reverse ∆ΗΜΑΡC ΕΞΟΥCΙΑC, eagle standing facing on ground line, wings open, head and tail left, wreath in beak, S - C below wings, MON VRB in ex; double strike evident in obverse legend, minor flan crack, small encrustations, very sharp, handsome portrait and eagle; $320.00 (€246.40) |
| Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos, 80 - 58 B.C. and 55 - 51 B.C. |  | The Greeks of Alexandria called themselves Macedonians, and they, like the proud people of Macedonia, believed they had the right to choose or depose their kings. The Alexandrians deposed the weak and unpopular Ptolemy XII in 58 B.C. He regained the throne with Roman assistance in 55 B.C. His daughter, the famous Cleopatra VII, was the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt. |
| SH60173. Silver tetradrachm, Svoronos 1840; SNG Cop 397; BMC Ptolemies p. 117, 37; Noeske 362; Hosking 124; SNG Milan 413; SGCV II 7948, VF, surface flaws, weight 14.553 g, maximum diameter 24.4 mm, die axis 180o, Paphos mint, 52 - 51 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Ptolemy I (or XII?) right, wearing aegis; reverse ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings closed, head left, transverse palm under right wing, LΛ (year 30) over crown of Isis left, ΠΑ right; $320.00 (€246.40) |
| Macrianus, Fall or Winter 260 - Early 261 A.D. |  | Jupiter or Jove, Zeus to the Greeks, was the king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder, and of laws and social order. As the patron deity of ancient Rome, he was the chief god of the Capitoline Triad, with sister and wife Juno. The father of Mars, he is therefore the grandfather of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. |
| SH57022. Silvered antoninianus, RSC IV 8, RIC V 6, F, weight 3.441 g, maximum diameter 21.3 mm, die axis 45o, Antioch mint, obverse IMP C FVL MACRIANVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right; reverse IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter seated left, patera in extended right, scepter in left, eagle at feet; rare; $315.00 (€242.55) |
| Philip I the Arab, February 244 - End of September 249 A.D., Antioch, Seleukis and Pieria, Syria |  | In 248, overwhelmed by the number of invasions and usurpers, Philip offered to resign. The Senate decided to support the Emperor, with Gaius Messius Quintus Decius most vocal of all the senators. Philip was so impressed that he dispatched Decius with a special command of the Pannonian and Moesian provinces. His loyal supporter, Decius, was, however, proclaimed Emperor by the Danubian armies in the spring of 249 and defeated and killed Philip in September. |
| RP59985. Silver tetradrachm, McAlee 925, Prieur 355, EF, mint luster, weight 10.961 g, maximum diameter 26.6 mm, die axis 180o, Antioch mint, 247 A.D.; obverse ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC CEB, radiate and cuirassed bust left, Gorgon's head on cuirass; reverse ∆ΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥCΙΑC ΥΠΑ ΤΟ Γ, eagle standing right, head right, wings open, wreath in beak, ANTIOXIA / S C in ex; $315.00 (€242.55) |
| Philip II, July or August 247 - Late 249 A.D., Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria |  | In 249, after his legionaries proclaimed him emperor, Trajan Decius marched them to Verona, where he defeated and killed Philip I. Philip's eleven-year-old son and heir was likely killed with his father. |
| SH59992. Billon tetradrachm, McAlee 1042, Prieur 474; BMC Syria 560, EF, some mint luster, weight 13.462 g, maximum diameter 26.0 mm, die axis 200o, Antioch mint, 249 A.D.; obverse ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC CΕΒ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right from behind; reverse ∆ΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥCΙΑC ΥΠΑ ΤΟ ∆, eagle standing right, wings open, head right, wreath in beak, ANTIOXIA / S C below; $315.00 (€242.55) |
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