New arrival. I have been eyeing the tetradrachms of the Pergamon dynasty for a while now, but the finer examples are simply too pricey. I think they always have been, it is not just because of the recent price surge. I discovered this one in a retailer's stock and it was priced very reasonably. It has its problems, but overall it is a very decent example. In fact, I am more than happy with it. It has an interesting blue/green patina, and a test cut ( my very first coin with one!). It is very well centered, however the strike is a bit weak, I would have loved if the legends were a bit stronger. The face of Philetaerus is primarily the main attraction of these coins. He was an imposing figure, and in the finest and pricier examples he looks really scary and massive. In this example you can still tell it is him, but he looks more fit. Perhaps the die engraver opted for a more flattering depiction. He was due to no fault of his own a eunuch. Apparently he was pressed upon a crowd when he was a baby and his testicles were crashed as Strabo and his nephew Attalos mention: It is not his coin though. It is a bit confusing as it actually came with 3 collectors tickets. The fact that the tets of the Pergamon rulers always depict and name Philetaerus on them, doesn't help either. One ticket claimed it was a Philetaerus issue, the other one that it was a Eumenes I one, and the latest seller's ticket attributed the coin to Attalus I. I haven't done any research yet, so I am not sure what it is. I assume the last seller got it right. Do you all agree? Having just started doing reading on that particular dynasty, I am already impressed. They did really well. Philetaerus was one of the original diadochoi as he was one of the first governors under Antigonus . When Antogonus fell, he served under Lysimachos (probably explains the coin design) and was appointed as the commander of Pergamon. He eventually switched alliance to Seleukus, and enjoyed an unusual autonomy, probably due to his vast wealth. As he couldn't have children he adopted his nephew Eumenes I who succeded to the throne upon his death. Attalos, the ruler associated with this coin was his cousin and succesor. He was quite successful and an ally of Rome. A talented general, he made his mark in history when he defeated the Gauls (they were troublesome immigrants in case you were wondering what they were doing down there). He spent most of his life in military campaigns and his successes made Pergamon strong and wealthy. He was lucky enough to die at the old age of 72 (probably from a stroke) in 197 BC. Show me your Pergamon coins or anything else you think it is relevant.
Attalid Asia Minor: Money, International Relations, and the State. Peter Thonemann 2013 A must read. Also this.
@NewStyleKing I believe that you attempted to post some interesting books on the subject. Perhaps our forum lord @lordmarcovan can remove the extra post and possibly fix the link? Also, this is a good opportunity to bring back this thread to the first page. I am curious to see more Pergamon coins if people have them and are willing to share them
I converted a webpage to a jpeg and voila! These 2 books are amazing and controversial and are a must. I cannot believe there are so few interested in Asia Minor with its bickering power politics and little empires, it's interactions with the Romans and the Ptolemies, Galatian Celts etc. There are some fantastic coins that are not too expensive. Silver Antiochus Vll and Phillip Philly type coins can be cheaply bought and the AE's are plentiful. The Philiteria coins of Pergamum are treated in the books but there needs to be a modern update on them. The cistaphores are generally cheap and very controversial, whilst some Bithynian tets can be relatively cheap and controversial. Nothing gets more beautiful than the asia minor stephanophores and the coinages of the great transformation from civic Alexanders to truly civic identity coins. I am truly "only a poor man" but at least have a Myrhina and a Kyme. Also I think that I prefer reading to actually collecting so these books Ideal for me. Also, this is a good opportunity to bring back this thread to the first page. I am curious to see more Pergamon coins if people have them and are willing to share them [/QUOTE]
