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Message:: [QUOTE="Nemo, post: 3460594, member: 58462"]Although I have long admired the coins of Ptolemy I, and enjoy having a few in my collection, I never realized an obvious problem. There are clearly two weight standards (possibly three but the third may have been later, under Ptolemy II) for his Elephant headdress/Athena tetradrachms, that being 17g and 15.6g. After a quick and completely unscientific analysis, it appears the majority are of the lower weight standard. Furthermore, there are examples of this series in good silver with the same monograms but of the different weights. One would think this dramatic weight difference would immediately be noticed but, alas, that was not the case until I added this tet to my collection. The label on it’s plastic tomb (now freed) described it as damaged although it is simply an overstrike and in beautiful style at that. [ATTACH=full]920420[/ATTACH] After purchasing it I posted it over at Forvm, wondering if the undertype could be identified, and a kind member directed me to "THE OVERSTRUCK COINAGE OF PTOLEMY I" by Brooks Emmons. It explains the fascinating story behind the adjusted weight standard that abruptly changed mid-issue. It is available for free, online, with a quick google search. The heavy issues were withdrawn from circulation in 306/305 BC and reissued after weight adjustment. They were trimmed to remove 1.5g of silver, heated and restruck. This must have been faster than melting them down into bullion and restriking. Some of these issues, such as the one above (26mm, 15.68g), show the clear evidence of the edges being trimmed, although many do not. Does this have to do with how hot the flan was and how hard the strike or were some flans hammered before striking? My second example below, larger and lighter at 30mm, 15.65g, does not show the trimming but there are remnants of the undertype. [ATTACH=full]920423[/ATTACH] Why the adjustment? Ptolemy was feeling the financial burden of repelling Antigonus’ invasion and supporting Rhodes through a thirteen-month siege. The government needed extra currency and Egypt produced little or no silver. The recall of the heavy issues meant 8 tetradrachms were restruck into 9 “Crisis Issues” but with no change in the appearance of the dies.After reading the article I sat, sipping tea, and staring at the coin hoping to make out the undertype on the first example. Once your eyes adjust to it, I believe it’s quite obvious! Can you figure out the undertype? Any other Ptolemys out there?[/QUOTE]

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