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<p>[QUOTE="Pavlos, post: 5492691, member: 96635"]I have owned this coin for almost 1.5-2 years now, and I always labeled it as the usual "Barbarian imitation" of a drachm from Demetrios I Soter, a king of the Seleukid empire.</p><p><br /></p><p>The imitative coin I own:</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/i8TJIVf.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Demetrios I Soter (161-150 B.C.) AR Drachm. Barbaric (Galatian?) contemporary imitation of Antioch mint issue dated 152/1 BC (SE 161)</b></p><p><b>Obverse:</b> Diademed head right of Demetrios I right.</p><p><b>Reverse:</b> Cornucopia; below, two monograms above AΞ(P) (date) below.</p><p><b>Reference:</b> For type: SC 1657.</p><p>4.30g; 15mm</p><p><br /></p><p>The host coin:</p><p><img src="https://images4-cdn.auctionmobility.com/is3/auctionmobility-static4/eYH3-4-N10R//180_1.jpg?maxwidth=1600&maxheight=1600" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><i><font size="3"><a href="https://auctions.cngcoins.com/lots/view/4-V45J0/seleukid-empire-demetrios-i-soter-162-150-bc-ar-drachm-17mm-409-g-12h-antioch-on-the-orontes-mint-dated-se-161-1521-bc" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://auctions.cngcoins.com/lots/view/4-V45J0/seleukid-empire-demetrios-i-soter-162-150-bc-ar-drachm-17mm-409-g-12h-antioch-on-the-orontes-mint-dated-se-161-1521-bc" rel="nofollow">Courtesy of CNG</a></font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>I started to dive deeper by looking up other imitations that were sold, and there was a huge variety in examples in different styles, but many of them were lacking three things: A clear date and monograms imitated from the host coin (AΞ[P] = 152/151 BC), a fairly good-styled portrait of Demetrios and an almost perfect Attic weight of ~4.3g (all other examples were (heavily) underweight).</p><p>These coins were labeled Barbarian imitations, Galatian imitations, and Commagenian imitations, which were attributed to the reigns of either Samos II Theosebes Dikaios (130-109 BC) or Mithradates I Kallinikos (96-70 BC)</p><p><br /></p><p>Example of how most Demetrios I imitations look like that are attributed to Samos II Theosebes-Mithradates I Kallinikos:</p><p><img src="https://www.sixbid-coin-archive.com/images/view/5852/4890298l.jpg?md5=QSQ02b4xPBOaYI_0wxqXcg&expires=1611353535" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><i><font size="3"><a href="https://nomosag.com/default.aspx?page=ucAuctionDetails&auctionid=12&id=132&p=1&s=demetrios&ca=0&type=webauction" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://nomosag.com/default.aspx?page=ucAuctionDetails&auctionid=12&id=132&p=1&s=demetrios&ca=0&type=webauction" rel="nofollow">Courtesy of Nomos</a></font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>The Attic weight of the coin made me think it had been minted in an early date of issue, when Demetrios I Soter his drachms were still circulating actively.</p><p>I started to look for literature and came across this paper from O. Hoover, called “Notes on Some Imitation Drachms of Demetrius I Soter from Commagene”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here I made a very interesting discovery. First I was right that this was an early imitation, but much earlier then I thought!</p><p>Here is how the story goes: There was a person called Ptolemaios, he was the son of King Orontes IV of Armenia. From 201 B.C. he was a satrap of Commagene under the Seleukid Empire, and he served four Seleukid kings. He wanted to escape the Seleukid hegemony, and in 163 B.C. he revolted and was successful. However, upon gaining independence the rebel satrap failed to immediately issue coins in his own name, thereby failing to present himself as a legitimate ruler to his subjects. To date no coins of any kind have been discovered bearing the personal types and name of Ptolemaios. A reason for this could be simply because he never adopted the royal title, so he was in fact a 'free satrap' or a <i>pariah, </i>and not a king<i>. </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><img src="https://alchetron.com/cdn/kingdom-of-commagene-bf0c9bf8-c99e-454e-9bc9-1d0b241471f-resize-750.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </i></p><p>As a new and independent ruler of Commagene, Ptolemaios must have needed to produce coinage at some point in his reign. Especially the fact that he even attempted to invade Cappadocia, therefore he was militarily active and he probably needed to pay his troops with money. After 153/2 B.C., a sudden emission of imitation drachms of Demetrios I Soter appeared with no known authority behind their issue. These issues were imitations of good style with a fairly realistic portrait, readable legend, monograms and date. The fact that Ptolemaios did not strike coinage in his own name suggests the strong possibility that the coins of this group may have been struck under Ptolemaios himself.</p><p>The weights of the coins in this group, ranging in the Attic standard weight, also contribute to this theory because they imply the use of the Attic standard, which was employed by the official Demetrius drachms of Antioch, thereby pointing to an early date or issue when Commagene was still fairly close to the Seleucid economic sphere.</p><p>Such an early date was the reign of Ptolemaios, when the state was independent but not yet so independent that its ruler could risk upsetting the legitimate economic and political systems already established by the Seleukids.</p><p><br /></p><p>Basically this is the first coin of the first king (or better said the first ruler) of the Commagenians, to pay for his soldiers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Therefore the attribution of the coin can now be as follow:</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/i8TJIVf.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Kingdom of Commagene, Ptolemaios (163-130 B.C.) AR Drachm. Imitating Demetrios I Soter, Antioch mint issue dated 152/1 B.C. (SE 161). Struck by uncertain mint in Commagene, ca. 152/1-130 B.C. </b></p><p><b>Obverse:</b> Diademed head right of Demetrios I right.</p><p><b>Reverse:</b> Cornucopia; below, two monograms above AΞ(P) (date) below.</p><p><b><b>Reference:</b></b> O. Hoover, “Notes on Some Imitation Drachms of Demetrius I Soter from Commagene” in AJN 10 (1998), Series I, Group A.</p><p>4.30g; 15mm</p><p><br /></p><p>All in all a very interesting discovery.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please post your coins of Commagene, coins of Demetrios I and your imitations![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Pavlos, post: 5492691, member: 96635"]I have owned this coin for almost 1.5-2 years now, and I always labeled it as the usual "Barbarian imitation" of a drachm from Demetrios I Soter, a king of the Seleukid empire. The imitative coin I own: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/i8TJIVf.jpg[/IMG] [B]Demetrios I Soter (161-150 B.C.) AR Drachm. Barbaric (Galatian?) contemporary imitation of Antioch mint issue dated 152/1 BC (SE 161) Obverse:[/B] Diademed head right of Demetrios I right. [B]Reverse:[/B] Cornucopia; below, two monograms above AΞ(P) (date) below. [B]Reference:[/B] For type: SC 1657. 4.30g; 15mm The host coin: [IMG]https://images4-cdn.auctionmobility.com/is3/auctionmobility-static4/eYH3-4-N10R//180_1.jpg?maxwidth=1600&maxheight=1600[/IMG] [I][SIZE=3][URL='https://auctions.cngcoins.com/lots/view/4-V45J0/seleukid-empire-demetrios-i-soter-162-150-bc-ar-drachm-17mm-409-g-12h-antioch-on-the-orontes-mint-dated-se-161-1521-bc']Courtesy of CNG[/URL][/SIZE][/I] I started to dive deeper by looking up other imitations that were sold, and there was a huge variety in examples in different styles, but many of them were lacking three things: A clear date and monograms imitated from the host coin (AΞ[P] = 152/151 BC), a fairly good-styled portrait of Demetrios and an almost perfect Attic weight of ~4.3g (all other examples were (heavily) underweight). These coins were labeled Barbarian imitations, Galatian imitations, and Commagenian imitations, which were attributed to the reigns of either Samos II Theosebes Dikaios (130-109 BC) or Mithradates I Kallinikos (96-70 BC) Example of how most Demetrios I imitations look like that are attributed to Samos II Theosebes-Mithradates I Kallinikos: [IMG]https://www.sixbid-coin-archive.com/images/view/5852/4890298l.jpg?md5=QSQ02b4xPBOaYI_0wxqXcg&expires=1611353535[/IMG] [I][SIZE=3][URL='https://nomosag.com/default.aspx?page=ucAuctionDetails&auctionid=12&id=132&p=1&s=demetrios&ca=0&type=webauction']Courtesy of Nomos[/URL][/SIZE][/I] The Attic weight of the coin made me think it had been minted in an early date of issue, when Demetrios I Soter his drachms were still circulating actively. I started to look for literature and came across this paper from O. Hoover, called “Notes on Some Imitation Drachms of Demetrius I Soter from Commagene”. Here I made a very interesting discovery. First I was right that this was an early imitation, but much earlier then I thought! Here is how the story goes: There was a person called Ptolemaios, he was the son of King Orontes IV of Armenia. From 201 B.C. he was a satrap of Commagene under the Seleukid Empire, and he served four Seleukid kings. He wanted to escape the Seleukid hegemony, and in 163 B.C. he revolted and was successful. However, upon gaining independence the rebel satrap failed to immediately issue coins in his own name, thereby failing to present himself as a legitimate ruler to his subjects. To date no coins of any kind have been discovered bearing the personal types and name of Ptolemaios. A reason for this could be simply because he never adopted the royal title, so he was in fact a 'free satrap' or a [I]pariah, [/I]and not a king[I]. [IMG]https://alchetron.com/cdn/kingdom-of-commagene-bf0c9bf8-c99e-454e-9bc9-1d0b241471f-resize-750.jpeg[/IMG] [/I] As a new and independent ruler of Commagene, Ptolemaios must have needed to produce coinage at some point in his reign. Especially the fact that he even attempted to invade Cappadocia, therefore he was militarily active and he probably needed to pay his troops with money. After 153/2 B.C., a sudden emission of imitation drachms of Demetrios I Soter appeared with no known authority behind their issue. These issues were imitations of good style with a fairly realistic portrait, readable legend, monograms and date. The fact that Ptolemaios did not strike coinage in his own name suggests the strong possibility that the coins of this group may have been struck under Ptolemaios himself. The weights of the coins in this group, ranging in the Attic standard weight, also contribute to this theory because they imply the use of the Attic standard, which was employed by the official Demetrius drachms of Antioch, thereby pointing to an early date or issue when Commagene was still fairly close to the Seleucid economic sphere. Such an early date was the reign of Ptolemaios, when the state was independent but not yet so independent that its ruler could risk upsetting the legitimate economic and political systems already established by the Seleukids. Basically this is the first coin of the first king (or better said the first ruler) of the Commagenians, to pay for his soldiers. Therefore the attribution of the coin can now be as follow: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/i8TJIVf.jpg[/IMG] [B]Kingdom of Commagene, Ptolemaios (163-130 B.C.) AR Drachm. Imitating Demetrios I Soter, Antioch mint issue dated 152/1 B.C. (SE 161). Struck by uncertain mint in Commagene, ca. 152/1-130 B.C. Obverse:[/B] Diademed head right of Demetrios I right. [B]Reverse:[/B] Cornucopia; below, two monograms above AΞ(P) (date) below. [B][B]Reference:[/B][/B] O. Hoover, “Notes on Some Imitation Drachms of Demetrius I Soter from Commagene” in AJN 10 (1998), Series I, Group A. 4.30g; 15mm All in all a very interesting discovery. Please post your coins of Commagene, coins of Demetrios I and your imitations![/QUOTE]
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A very interesting discovery
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