I've looked at so many of CT member's Egyptian Tets over the years, but until now, never pulled the trigger. A seller I've purchased from in the past offered me a good deal on this example. It came to me entombed, so for Halloween I entered the tomb and revived this Egyptian to fresh air much like the mummy was revived at an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra. Ptolemy II Philadelphus (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλάδελφος, Ptolemaĩos Philádelphos" 309 BC-246 BC), was the king of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 BC to 246 BC. He was the son of the founder of the Ptolemaic kingdom Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice, and was educated by Philitas of Cos. He had two half-brothers, Ptolemy Keraunos and Meleager, both of whom became kings of Macedonia (in 281 BC and 279 BC respectively). Both died in the Gallic invasion of 280-279 BC. Son of Ptolemy I, he was made co-ruler by his father two years before the latter's death, thus ensuring a smooth succession. His long reign was a period of growing prosperity for his kingdom, and the capital city of Alexandria was embellished with many splendid new buildings - the Pharos, the Museum and the Library being foremost. He was twice married: in circa 288 B.C. to Arsinoe I, daughter of Lysimachos of Thrace; and about twelve years later to his own sister, Arsinoe II. Entombed And resurrected: PTOLEMY II PHILADELPHOS AR Tetradrachm OBVERSE: Diademed head of Ptolemy II right, wearing aegis around neck REVERSE: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ [ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ], eagle standing left on thunderbolt, to left, club surmounted by Tyre monogram Tyre 285-260 BC 25 mm., 14.14 grams Svoronos 644; SNG Copenhagen 482-3
Nice one Bing! I really love those countermark/banker's marks. They add a lot of appeal in my opinion. I have a similar one to yours, with some extra letters/monograms on the reverse: Ptolemy II Philadelphos Tetradrachm Tyre mint (Year 34 = 252-251 B.C.) Diademed head Ptolemy I / ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ, Eagle std. left on thunderbolt; civic monogram above club l.; ΛΔ above monogram r. ; ΔI between legs. Svoronos 682; BMC p. 31, 93. (14.15 grams / 26 mm)
Ptolemy II, Ptolemaic Kingdom AR tetradrachm Obv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, monogram in left field, shield in front of eagle Mint: Alexandria Date: 285-246 BC Ref: Svoronos 574
Is that a tear on his cheek? That's what I see. Ptolemy II Philadelphus 285-246 BC) 26mm, 13.26 gm AR stater or tetradrachm Ptolemy II Philadelphus AR stater or tetradrachm (25mm, 14.21 gm, 12h)
Wonderful acquisition! And just in time for the holiday! I've been looking for one of these for a while now, but none over here. Both Alexander the great and Ptolemy have those thick brows. It really adds credence to the idea that they were half brothers (through Philip of course). Anyway, here's my only Ptolemy 2 (I think): Ptolemy II Philadelphos (285-246 BCE) - AE27 (19.47 MM 4.87 gm.) - Diademed head of Zeus Ammon right / Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, between legs A (year 1 = 271-270 BC) (Svor. 610 Weiser 18)
Nice Ptolemaic Silver @Bing and I'm glad you've woken him up out of his entombed sleep. I've only got a couple bronzes including this PII of the Tyre Club Series: 31mm, 22.5g
To each his/her own. I prefer holding a coin, especially knowing I cannot hurt a coin that was buried for 2000 years. I have some modern coins (not many), that I cannot touch which is one of the reasons I gravitated to Ancients.
Super nice, @Bing ! Really looks like his dad, and I really like the bankers marks. Nice you freed it! I never understood entombing them (ancient glory), into plastic boxes. Takes up WAY too much space, and I cannot handle them like they had for so many years. Here is one of my PII's: Egypt Ptolemy II 285-274 BC AE Obol 20mm 6.7g Alex III Eagle Tbolt Plain SV 601
That is truly an impressive coin, Bing. I have wanted to add Ptolemaic bronze to my collection, but how do you tell one Ptolemy from another? Is it the symbols on the reverse that were unique to a specific Ptolemy?
We've had this type of discussion many times on CT. First, NGC does not certify that any given coin is authentic. Certainly, they have experts looking at each coin before they encapsulate, and this is appealing to many collectors especially new collectors of Ancients. Does it increase the value? Perhaps. But it also increases the cost of a coin. I'm the wrong person to answer this question. I'm just simply not that familiar with Ptolemy coins. In this case, the coin was identified by both the seller and NGC. I didn't look any further.
Attribution of the vast numbers of similar-looking Ptolemaic coins has gone through changes over the years. Recently a new body of work was released which rearranged things yet again. I still haven't ordered the books-- maybe I'll buy it for myself for Christmas. Determination of which Ptolemy issued which coins is complicated and does rely on those minor symbols and other information. For now I depend on the PtolemyBronze website for the bronze coins, which has been updated to reflect the Lorber work. For silver coins (I have no gold), I depend mostly on recent sales of similar coins in CNG's archives. Nice acquisition, Bing! Here's Ptolemy Soter portrait tet picked up at a coin show several years ago, or at least I hope it's still thought to be from Soter... PTOLEMIC KINGS OF EGYPT. Ptolemy I Soter Struck c. 300-285 BCE, Alexandreia mint AR tetradrachm, 28 mm, 13.92 gm Obv: diademed head right, wearing aegis around neck, tiny Δ behind ear Rev: eagle standing left on thunderbolt; to left, P above monogram Ref: Svoronos 252; SNG Copenhagen 69; Noeske 40 A Ptolemy II bronze: Ptolemy II, AE 32, Svoronos 760. Ex Professor James R. Eaton (1834-1897). Many of the bronzes I've posted to CT and on my website are now incorrectly attributed. One of these days months years I'll update my website . Hopefully I'll have time starting in January.