I have wanted one of these coins for a long time but, until last year, I hadn’t found the right one for the right price. The portrait was the main draw for me on this coin. I think that the style is particularly great. It is my representative example for a “12 Olympian Portraits” sub-collection I have been working on. Macedonia under Roman Protectorate First Meris AR Tetradrachm, Amphipolis mint, struck ca. 167-149 BC Dia.: 32 mm Wt.: 16.6 g, 3h Obv.: Macedonian shield with head of Artemis right, with bow and quiver. Rev.: Club in wreath between legend: ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ/ΠΡΩΤΗΣ. APY monogram above. Ref.: Sear 1386 Background In 168 BC Lucius Aemilius Paulus defeated Macedonian King Perseus V at the Battle of Pynda. Perseus was taken captive and forced to walk in Aemilius Paulus’s triumph in Rome. This was a shocking fall for the kingdom that could claim Alexander the Great and Philip II as it’s forebears. Macedon was divided into four districts or merides. Each meris was theoretically an autonomous republic, but in actuality, each was subject to Roman client status. The First Meris was by far the most prolific of the three districts that struck coins. The First Meris had the benefit of the productive silver mines at Pangaion that were located just east of Amphipolis. The Macedonian shield design element of the coinage was maintained, with the only difference being the substitution of a portrait of the Macedonian King with a portrait of Artemis in the central boss. In 148 BC, the Fourth Macedonian War brought an end to the semi-autonomy of Macedonia and an end to the production of these beautiful tetradrachms. Please post any coins that you think are relevant!
Luckily I do have one of these tetradrachms. In the most recent corpus on Macedonian autonomous silver coinage Prokopov has designed the following internal chronology of the series: 1. ‘First A’ Group (shortly after 168–149 BC), struck with 26 monogram combinations and additional symbols: dolphin, plough, trident, 8-pointed star, winged thunderbolt, and regular thunderbolt: 26 issues (143 combinations), catalogue numbers 1 – 143; 2. ‘First B’ Group – struck with only 1 monogram: 68 issues, catalogue numbers 144 – 212; 3. ‘Second A’ Group, after 149/8 BC – struck with 3 monogram combinations and additional symbol – regular thunderbolt: 343 sporadic issues, catalogue numbers 213 – 556; 4. ‘Second B’ Group – undated, struck with 1 monogram (AP) and additional symbol – regular thunderbolt, 52 issues, catalogue numbers 557 – 609; 5. ‘Third’ Group – ‘conserved’ issues, much later, not stated by Prokopov 21, but it should be regarded actually ca. 120 – 90/80 BC: 134 issues struck with 1 monogram (AP in different versions), 30 obverse and 100 reverse dies, Prokopov catalogue numbers 610 – 744. http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/docs/FromKoineToRomanitas.pdf Amphipolis, 158 - 150 BC. 17.068 g; 32 x 34 mm Prokopov, Silver Group II.A 13, 510; SNG Copenhagen 1314-1315; SNG Hunterian 3.1, 1103; AMNG III-I, p. 58, 178; SNG Ashmolean 3296-3299; BMC Macedonia p. 8, 8; Ob.: Diademed and draped bust of Artemis Tauropolos right, bow and quiver over shoulder, in the center of a Macedonian shield decorated with seven eight-pointed stars within double crescents, each separated by three pellets Rev.: MAKEΔONΩN / ΠPΩTHΣ above and below club, in field above, ΣΗYΔTΡ monogram, beneath at l. ΤKI and MYE ligated at r. all within oak wreath; thunderbolt to left.
I've wanted one for a while, too, but have yet to get one. The delicious cabinet toning on your example just made my greedy little heart go pitty-pat.
Love this design MACEDON (ROMAN PROTECTORATE), Republican period. First Meris. Circa 167-149 BC.Tetradrachm (Silver, 32 mm, 16.76 g, 3 h), Amphipolis. Diademed and draped bust of Artemis to right, at the center of a Macedonian shield ornamented with stars within crescents. Rev. MAKEΔONΩN / ΠΡΩTHΣ Club, with head to right, between two lines of inscription; above, monogram; below, two monograms; all within oak wreath with ties to left; to left, thunderbolt. ANMG III 175. Toned and rare with these monograms. Irregular flan, otherwise, good fine. From the collection of W. F. Stoecklin, Amriswil, Switzerland, acquired prior to 1950 from the collection of Dr. Naegeli in Zürich.
