Tracking a Philip II Tet from Antioch, Syria

I've been on the lookout for nice looking Tets of Philip II for about 5 years, & if they're rare that will increase the interest. On January 12, 2017 I scored a rather nice looking example from a Heritage auction in a NGC slab, graded Ch XF, for $104.00 (buyers premium included), see photos below. The coin was listed by McAlee as Very Rare, #1064c, & Prieur cited only 5 examples. The only drawback to the coin was granular surfaces, especially on the reverse, but for $104.00 I was happy with the purchase.




Shortly after acquiring this Tet I stumbled on another example of this coin on a Vcoins listing that was far superior to my coin , see photo below. The only drawback to the Vcoins example was the price of $569.00 ! Several months later I returned to the Vcoins listing & saw the same coin with the note RESERVED . I was angry with myself for not trying to negotiate a better price with the seller .


Last September while browsing thru the Heritage Signature auction I spotted another example of this same coin type in a NGC slab ! The coin was mistakenly described as a Tet of Philip I, McAlee 937 , despite the correct attribution on the NGC slab. (NGC 4278563-002, MS*, Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5), see photos below. My first thought was the cataloger confused this coin with another Tet of Philip I in the same auction, however, the only other coin of Philip I in this auction was a Tet from Alexandria, Egypt, & there were no other examples in the auction of Philip II coins. So I guess it was just a stupid blunder . After comparing the Heritage example to the Vcoins example I realized they were the same coin . Somehow after being sold from Vcoins, the coin was slabbed & placed in the Heritage auction. I ended up with the coin for $432.00 (buyers premium included) .



I've only seen one other example of this coin type posted in Wildwinds.com, from Pagasi Numismatics, from one of their auctions in 2014, see photo below.

 

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What a hunt !

 

Wow! Nice coin! And what a tale of all's well that ends well.

I don't have an Antiochene tet of Phillip II, only one of his mama!


Otacilia Severa, 244-249.
Roman provincial AR tetradrachm, 12.23 g, 25.1 mm.
Syria, Seleucis & Pieria, Antioch ad Orontem, AD 245.
Obv: ΜΑΡ ΟΤΑΚΙΛ CΕΟΥΗΡΑ CΕΒ, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥCΙΑC ΥΠΑΤΟ Α, eagle on palm, left, tail right, SC in exergue.
Refs: McAlee 1088; Prieur 341; BMC 541.

My favorite Philip II is this sestertius:


Philip II as Caesar under Philip I, AD 244-247.
Roman Æ sestertius, 19.61 g, 28.3 mm, 11h.
Rome, AD 245-246.
Obv: M IVL PHILIPPVS CAES, bare-headed and draped bust right.
Rev: PRINCIPI IVVENT S C, Philip II in military dress, standing left, holding globe and resting on spear.
Refs: RIC 256a; Cohen 49; RCV 9249; Hunter 14.

 

Roman Collector, I foolishly sold 2 nice Tets of Otacilia Severa a couple of years ago & now I can't find anything affordable as nice as your coin .

 

What a fun tale and excellent coin! I've picked up a couple of coins that I missed the first time around. This Julia Domna Fecunditas was my primary target in a CNG print auction several years ago. I chased it higher than intended and lost.

A year or so later it reappeared in a Buy/Bid sale and the BIN price was lower than my losing bid in the prior sale . I put it in my cart and checked out as fast as I could.


Julia Domna
AR denarius, 19.5mm, 3.17 gm, 6h. Rome mint
Struck under Septimius Severus, circa AD 207-211
Obv: IVLIA AVGVSTA; draped bust right
Rev: Fecunditas or Tellus (Earth) reclining left under tree, resting arm on basket of fruit and placing hand on celestial orb; standing before her are four children representing the Four Seasons
Ref: RIC IV 549 (Septimius Severus); RSC 35
ex R.H. Collection, purchased from Ed Waddell

 

A couple of nice coins @Al Kowsky - the one for $104 was a good deal. My only Antioch tet is of Elagabalus, who was kind of a big deal in Syria.

 

TIF, Great score ! Julia looks like the young beauty that's recorded in history & the reverse is the best possible composition . There were some very gifted celators working at the Rome mint at that time.

 

ancient coin hunter, That's a nice looking Tet with an ironically angelic portrait . I don't think the celators knew what a sick pervert the kid was . You really should try & get a better photo (in focus) of the obverse .

 

kool coins of Phillip ll...i've been trying to get a coin of him for a while to complete the family of along with the emperors, but no cigar(or coin) yet

 

Yeah the obverse is a bit blurry, reverse is fine...

 

My best coin of Philip II is this nice one with denomination of 8 Assaria. Reverse shows Tyche. Antioch. BMC 564.

 

PHILIP II (247 - 249 A.D.)
SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria
BILLON TETRADRACHM
O:AVTOK K M IOVLI FILIPPOC CEB: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Seen from behind.
R: DHMARC EX OVCIAC VPATO D: Eagle standing right, wings spread, holding wreath in its beak, ANTIOXIA S C below.
Anioch, Syria Minted: 249 AD
26mm
13g
SNG Cop 1211, Prieur 473

 

7Calbrey, You've got a nice example of a beefy bronze coin of Philip II. There were two main issues of this type & your example looks like the earlier type with Philip II depicted bare-headed. I like the reverse composition of a turreted Tyche under a leaping ram. I don't know what the significance of the "leaping ram" is but I think the earliest use of this symbol on Antioch coinage was during the reign of Elagabalus. I have a late Tet of Gordian III which uses the "leaping ram" motif on the reverse under the eagle with a crescent above the ram. See photo below.

 

Mat, You've got a nice example of a late Tet of Philip II. Your coin is listed as McAlee 1043, Series 5, A.D. 248-249.

 

Great coins!

 

I'd like to elaborate on an interesting digression triggered by a post from 7Calbrey, regarding the "leaping ram" motif on Antioch coinage. A friend alerted me to an extremely rare Tet auctioned by CNG in their Triton XXII auction, pictured below. The coin was struck under the reign of Marcus Aurelius & pictures Commodus as Caesar, c. AD 175, 26 mm, 14.51 gm. The reverse depicts Tyche seated on rocks with the river god Orontes swimming below her. Above Tyche is the "leaping ram" motif again. In the CNG description,Michel Prieur is quoted "The ram is said to represent Ares, which was the star sign of the month in which the city was founded".

Other examples of earlier coinage from Antioch also use the "leaping ram" motif like the coin pictured below, courtesy of Marc Breitsprecher. It's an anonymous bronze, dated Actian year 42 (AD 11/12), 20.3 mm, 5.16 gm. The reverse uses the "leaping ram" motif with a star. Bible students have often fancifully attributed this design to the star of Bethlehem, signaling the birth of Christ, who was allegedly born in the month of April (Ares, symbolized by the ram).

 

Nice detective work and a great coin. I had this one for many years until I traded it along with several others for some Ephesian Flavians.



AVTOK K M IOVΛI ΦIΛIΠΠOC CEB
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind

DHMAPX EZOVCIAC
Eagle standing right, head left with wreath in beak, S - C in field, A (officina 1) above left wing
MON VRB ('The Mint of Rome') in exergue.

Scarce with officina letter in reverse field.

EF reverse a bit corroded

244 AD
Probably struck in Rome for use in the East

13.29g
Prieur-305 (20 spec.)

Wildwinds example

Ex-Harlan J Berk

 

Jay GT4, I also had a magnificent example of a Philip I Tet that Heritage auctioned off for me, see photos below. My example was the more common variety without an officina mark, c. AD 246, 14.22 gm. McAlee 899.

 

Nice detail @Al Kowsky

 

Thanks James, coins with a matte surface lend themselves to excellent photos.