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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Pavlos, post: 4384510, member: 96635&quot;]I bought a tetradrachm from the Seleukid king Antiochos VII Euergetes that I was so astonished about I had to get it, for some time I could not figure out what it was. I could find absolutely no other coins on the web with the same style, so I just stamped it as a &quot;barbarous imitation&quot;. However, I knew there were official imitations minted by Cappadocia, but these were MUCH better in style. I therefore contacted Catharine Lorber (an expert in that area), and she shared an article with me where she investigated these &#039;obscure&#039; imitations: Early Cappadocian Tetradrachms in the Name of Antiochus VII by Elke Krengel, and Catharine C. Lorber.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tetradrachms in the name of the Seleukid king Antiochos VII Euergetes (138-129 BC) were discovered that were in fact minted in the Cappadocian kingdom under Ariarathes VII, Ariarathes VIII, Ariarathes IX, and Ariobarzanes X. The first of those series is die linked to the portrait tetradrachms of Ariarathes VII, and all three series bear secondary controls in the inner left and inner right fields that match the controls of royal Cappadocian coin issues (normally drachms) of those kings, creating a long succession of double control links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Example of these beautiful imitations:</p><p><img src="https://www.cngcoins.com/photos/enlarged/87000600.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><i><font size="3"><b>KINGS of CAPPADOCIA. Ariarathes VII Philometor. </b>Circa 112/0-100 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 16.43 g, 12h). Struck in the name of Antiochos VII of Syria. Ariaratheia or Eusebia-Tyana mint(?). Struck circa 104-102 BC. Diademed head of Antiochos VII right / Athena Nikephoros standing left; to outer left, monogram above A; O to inner left, Λ to inner right; all within wreath. Lorber &amp; Houghton series 1, issue 3, Engraver A (unlisted obv. die); SC 2148; HGC 9, 1069. Good VF, bright surfaces, struck with worn reverse die.</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>However, in a hoard, called the &quot;Posthumous Antiochos VII hoard&quot; there were tetradrachms that could not be so obviously related to the royal Cappadocian coinage. These tetradrachms were likely from even earlier Cappadocian kings, Ariarathes V and VI. In the hoard, four mints were assigned, which were linked by obverse dies but more often by the hands of a number of identifiable die engravers.</p><p><br /></p><p>All mints, except one mint, have the primary control above A in outer left field, imitating the primary control of Antioch during the latter reign of Antiochos VII. The main difference between coins of the different mints is the style and the secondary controls appearing in the inner right field.</p><p><br /></p><p>The coin:</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/dnmZbsX.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Ariarathes VI Epiphanes Philopator (130-116 B.C.). Imitation AR Tetradrachm in the name of Antiochos VII Euergetes (Sidetes) (138-129 B.C.). Cappadocian mint. Unmarked issue, perhaps dated Year 1.</b></p><p><b>Obverse:</b> Diademed head of Antiochos VII to right.</p><p><b>Reverse:</b> ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟY - EYEPΓETOY Athena standing front, head to left, holding Nike in her right hand and spear and shield in her left; to outer left, monogram above A; all within wreath.</p><p><b>Reference:</b> Early Cappadocian Tetradrachms in the Name of Antiochus VII (Elke Krengel, Catharine C. Lorber). Mint IV, emission 11, engraver X. Plate 18, 668 (same P4 reverse die).</p><p>15.82g; 28mm.</p><p><br /></p><p>The above coin, has been identified to be minted at Mint IV. Mint IV is represented by just four coins in the article, one of which was recorded from the &#039;posthumous Antiochus VII&#039; hoard and another of which comes from the Asia Minor hoard of c.1959. This tiny sample argues that Mint IV was even more remote than the other three mints (and from the place where the &#039;posthumous Antiochos VII&#039; hoard was formed). The mean weight of the coins minted at Mint IV is significantly lower than the mean weights of the tetradrachms from the other mint. The four known coins of Mint IV all belong to a single issue lacking a secondary control.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse dies of this mint exhibit some unusual stylistic features, including a consistently right-facing Nike, lozenge-shaped omicrons (letter O), and an arrangement of the ties at the bottom of the wreath to form a letter A. The last may be a personal taste of the artist, but its consistency could indicate that it is a deliberate action of the regnal numbers that appear in the exergue of royal Cappadocian silver coins, in which case Mint IV would be the only Cappadocian mint to date its pseudo-Seleukid tetradrachms.</p><p>During the reign of Ariarathes VI, Mint C drachms of year 1 correspond to the tetradrachms of Mint IV. Both feature an exceptional right-facing Nike as well as the letter A below the reverse type. Therefore, it is suggested that this tetradrachm is minted in the first regnal year of Ariarathes VI, somewhere in a distant and obscure mint (Comona is suggested).</p><p><br /></p><p>An Ariarathes VI mint C drachm. Another regnal year (and most likely another engraver), but it does show the same kind of unusual stylistic features on the reverse:</p><p><img src="https://www.cngcoins.com/photos/enlarged/710983.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><i><font size="3"><b>KINGS of CAPPADOCIA. Ariarathes VI Epiphanes. </b>Circa 130-112/0 BC. AR Drachm (4.19 g, 11h). Mint C (Comana?). Diademed head right / BASILEWS ARIARAQOU EPIFANOUS, Athena Nikephoros standing left; monogram to outer right; AI in exergue. Mørkholm, Coinages I, Issue 4b; Simonetta 23; SNG Copenhagen Supp. -; BMC -; SNG von Aulock 6284 var. (same obv. die, different date). Good VF, obverse a little soft.</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>On the end, why did these Cappadocian king imitate this one specific Seleukid king?</p><p>The Cappadocian production of imitative tetradrachms must have been preceded by a largescale import of genuine coins of Antiochos VII, for these are virtually the only Seleukid coins found in Cappadocian hoards, together with a very few coins of Demetrios II Nikator and Alexander II Zabinas.</p><p>The ancient sources make no connection between these Seleukid monarchs and the Cappadocian kingdom. It is also most unlikely that Antiochos VII provided financial support to Ariarathes V for the campaign against Eumenes III of Pergamon, there was no reason for the Seleukid to subsidize the expansion of a neighbouring kingdom.</p><p>However, there seems to be evidence of a brief period of Cappadocian dominance in western Cilicia. And it is therefore likely that a large monetary payment prevented a Cappadocian advance into the Seleukid eastern Cilicia.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/p50zZyJ.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>These coins atleast provided the models for Cappadocian imitations. The original motive for producing these imitations was perhaps to attract soldiers recently in the service of Antiochus VII. Atleast, the coins were continued to be struck for another three decades.</p><p><br /></p><p>I can understand not everyone is interested in these kind of imitations, but I hope you enjoyed the write up, it is always fun and good to share.</p><p>Please share your weird/obscure imitations, Antiochos VII tetradrachms and Cappadocian imitations![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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