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Greece/Seleucid; Antiochus VII Sidetes BCE 138-129 New Variety Tyrian Drachm

AR Drachm (Attic weight), 19 mm, 3.86 g, Tyre mint c. BCE 138-134 off flan (see below for date confirmation).


SC 2108.2 var, HSC 1080 L (R3 two known examples), CSE 2:629 var, Newell Tyre ----, this variety otherwise unpublished.


O: diad hd of Antiochus VII r., some porosity

R: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩ[Σ] ANTIOXOY in two lines on right, ΕΥ-EPΓETOY on l., Nike adv l holding wreath, Tyrian monogram TYP on club as mintmark and Σ inner right under wing as control. Date off flan but normally below Nike’s feet.

This control Σ is unrecorded in the sources for this type. It is published for the Phoenician Wt drachms where it appears between the eagle’s feet, therefore this example appears unpublished at present and possibly unique.

UPDATE 12 June 2024:

The above illustrated example can no longer be considered unique, a second example has been noted and is being auctioned by RÖNESANS SALTZGITTER GmbH Auction 12 (23 June 2024) lot 106.

Their example measures 19.1 mm in diameter and weighs 3.9 g. It is not identified by mint or catalogue number or any reference whatsoever. It appears to be from the same dies.  Opening bid is €10. Certainly not a comment on it's being rare or unpublished in the corpus. 

Of great importance is the ability to identify the year the coin was struck from this example as the date is missing from the example depicted above. The Seleucid year appears to be "ΘOP" or SE 179 which converts to BCE 134-133, during which time magistrate "Sigma" was working in Tyre. His tenure appears to have lasted from BCE 138-132/1.