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Home > Members' Coin Collection Galleries > n.igma > Early Seleukid
Seleukid Kingdom, Seleukos I Nikator, 312-281 BC, AR Tetradrachm – Uncertain Mint 4
Head of Herakles right wearing lion-skin headdress. 
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ reading up on left, ΣEΛΓYKOY (misspelled with Γ rather than E) reading down on right, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, ΣΕ monogram to left, circled ΜΗY monogram beneath throne. 

SC 60.2; HGC 9, 12d (R2-3); WSM 1342 (same obverse die). 

Uncertain Mint 4 in Cappadocia, Eastern Syria, or Northern Mesopotamia 301-281 BC. 

(26 mm, 17.15 g, 5h).
Naville 21, 20 March 2016, 97.

Seleucid Coins (p. 33) notes the declining competence exhibited by reverse dies in the series to which this coin belongs. This is a characteristic along with the mint controls, shared with some of the later issues of Uncertain Mints 6A/1, perhaps pointing to the mobile military nature of the mint and resultant variable access to skilled engravers. The misspelled legend fits with this observation.

Seleukid Kingdom, Seleukos I Nikator, 312-281 BC, AR Tetradrachm – Uncertain Mint 4

Head of Herakles right wearing lion-skin headdress.
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ reading up on left, ΣEΛΓYKOY (misspelled with Γ rather than E) reading down on right, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, ΣΕ monogram to left, circled ΜΗY monogram beneath throne.

SC 60.2; HGC 9, 12d (R2-3); WSM 1342 (same obverse die).

Uncertain Mint 4 in Cappadocia, Eastern Syria, or Northern Mesopotamia 301-281 BC.

(26 mm, 17.15 g, 5h).
Naville 21, 20 March 2016, 97.

Seleucid Coins (p. 33) notes the declining competence exhibited by reverse dies in the series to which this coin belongs. This is a characteristic along with the mint controls, shared with some of the later issues of Uncertain Mints 6A/1, perhaps pointing to the mobile military nature of the mint and resultant variable access to skilled engravers. The misspelled legend fits with this observation.

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Filename:SC_60_2.jpg
Album name:n.igma / Early Seleukid
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Date added:Apr 11, 2016
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Comment 1 to 3 of 3
Page: 1

Pharsalos   [Apr 11, 2016 at 08:57 PM]
Certainly not an incompetent obverse die though! Do the three dots on the snout of the lionskin have any significance?
n.igma   [Apr 12, 2016 at 12:05 AM]
The dots are the engraver's attempt to portray the lion's whiskers and are a common feature on the lion skin headdress iconography of Seleukos's Babylonia Uncertain Mint 6A and his Babylon II mint. On some examples from these mints the dots are also to be found on the truncation of lion's lower jaw beneath the tooth. This stylistic feature leads me to believe that this coin may be linked to these earlier mints via the transfer of an engraver into a mobile military mint while the army of Seleukos was on campaign in Syria, Northern Mesopotamia or Cappadocia. An article bearing on this subject "From Triparadeisos to Ipsos: Seleukos I Nikator’s Uncertain Mint 6A in Babylonia" by former Forum member Lloyd Taylor will be published in the forthcoming AJN 27.
Pharsalos   [Apr 12, 2016 at 12:43 PM]
Ahh very interesting, thank you for taking the time to answer my question!

Comment 1 to 3 of 3
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