Photo Credit: Sarasota-Rare-Coin-Gallery
Seleucid Kingdom Antiochus VII 138-129 BC AR Tetradrachm NGC XF40
Buy It Now Price: $327 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This is a silver tetradrachm from the Seleucid Empire – a Hellenistic state founded in 312 BC after the death of Alexander the Great by one of his generals, Seleucus I Nicator. While the kingdom originally stretched from Asia Minor in the west to India in the east, by the time this coin was struck it had shrunk to a core area composed mostly of present day Syria, Lebanon and Israel. It was finally conquered by Rome in 64 BC.
-The coin weighs in at a hefty 16.78 grams (0.54 troy ounces) and measures approximately 28 mm (1.10 inches) in diameter. This is a large, impressive coin that represented a huge amount of buying power in the ancient Greek world – equal to a skilled laborer’s wages for four days.
-It was struck during the reign of Antiochus VII between 138 BC and 129 BC. Antiochus VII was given the epithet Euergetes – the Benefactor – in celebration of his accommodation of the Jewish religion during his reign. Religious tolerance was a very rare commodity at the time as evidenced by one of his predecessors – Antiochus IV – who ruled from 175 BC to 164 BC. That tyrant was the first ruler in history to be given the label of “Antichrist”.
-The tetradrachm features an outstanding diademed portrait of Antiochus VII rendered in the finest Hellenistic style on the obverse. The reverse shows the Greek goddess Athena holding a miniature version of the goddess Nike (Victory) in her outstretched hand. The goddesses are surrounded by a wreath and Greek legends.
-This coin has been third party certified (slabbed) as XF-40 (Extra Fine) by NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), an independent coin grading company that is widely respected. I think the certification is important not for the grade, but because it is an implicit guarantee of the coin’s authenticity. Ancient Greek and Roman coins are a favorite target for Eastern European forgers.
-Greek coins have a reputation for being incomparable works of art from the Classical world and this example illustrates that point beautifully. The portrait of Antiochus VII is particularly compelling, exhibiting a level of artistic achievement that would not be rivaled again in the Western world until the Italian Renaissance. The coin’s fine style and large size, coupled with the fact that it is over 2100 years old, easily justifies its $327 price tag.
Cons:
-This silver tetradrachm is from the latter portion of the Hellenistic period. By this time in the late 2nd century BC, Hellenistic style was generally beginning to degrade in the Eastern Mediterranean. Consequently, connoisseurs are generally more willing to pay higher prices for coins from the beginning of the Hellenistic period, all else being equal.
-While the coin’s obverse portrait is superb, the reverse rendering of the goddesses Athena and Nike is rather mediocre by Hellenistic standards. Of course, if both the obverse and reverse had been struck in the best style, one could expect the price of the specimen to be far higher than it is.
-As noted on the NGC holder, this particular coin may have been a posthumous issue of Cappadocia – a small independent kingdom that bordered the Seleucid Empire in what is now eastern Turkey. A posthumous coin issue is one minted after the death of the ruler it depicts. This does not impact the coin’s value much, but might be of importance to some collectors.
