An eBay beauty & I think a bargain

[NewStyleKing]

Athens NewStyle Roma & Nike T 1125 

Athens NewStyle Roma & Nike T 1128a

The original coin T 1128a, unfortunately has Nike crowning Roma but she is mostly off the flan. I saw this 2nd coin T 1125 on ebay and I was the only bidder  and got it for 300$US  then plus juice, s&h  about $400.  This is very reasonable by today's prices.

OK the coin is 15.47 gm, should be c 16,65 ish, and worn dies and generally wear worn, but Nike crowning Roma is complete! The reverse 3 magistrates are readable and the whole was very identifiable.

Athens New Style Tetradrachm c90/89 BC

Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
29 mm 15.47 gm 
Thompson catalogue: 1125
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark A control ΠΡ below
3 magistrates : KOINTOS KLEAS SOSTRA
RF symbol : Roma & Nike
All surrounded by an olive wreath

At this time the political climate in Athens was volatile with supporters of Mithradates and Rome pitched against each other for c 10 years since about 99BC. This battle is often reflected on the coinage where known names exist and symbols can be seen to be contentious right down to the Sullan sack.

The 1st magistrate is Kointos, which is the Greek form of the name Quintus. We don't know nothing about him but that says a lot! Who Kleas and Sostra is we don't know but fair to say they that they are likely to be Roman supporters!

Now why is Roma being crowned?  There was a festival called Romalia and the previous obverse die linked NewStyle has the figure of Roma on it, same as on here. Could it commemorate a victory at the games at the festival, could it be a signal of the victory of Rome in the social wars, could it be that the Romans had a significant result in Macedonia, where the Mithradatic proxy war was occuring in Macedonia?  We don't know! But it sure was a C'mon if you think you're hard enough challenge at this febrile time! A Roman as the first magistrate and Roma being crowned...outrageous!

These coins were only made from 7 obverse dies and for the first 4 months . Maybe the silver was running out, maybe things weren't good at the mint? The dies on Roma & Roma & Nike coins show stress!

The next coin which has Drachm obverse die links is Griffin with the first magistrate Apellikon, a known entity! A book collector, library thief, from Teos where the city badge is a Griffin! He was nominated as an Athenian diplomat to the Pontic court and on return was nominated as a strategos to take Delos from the Romans and loot the treasury.  He was a miserable failure and Mithridates' general Archaelos had to do the job!  And then the next coin and very rare is the NewStyles, (inc GOLD), of 1st magistrate KING Mithradates & Aristion as 2nd magistrate, who is another known entity ,as  an Athenian diplomat sent to Pontus who was eventually killed holding the Acropolis by Sulla in 85 BC. Aristion was a Greek tyrant who had featured on an earlier NewStyle with symbol Pegasos which has Mithradatic connotations! The AE coinage of fulminating Zeus with Pontic Star between 2 Crescents is very common, maybe to fill in for the shortage of silver during Eupator' s magistrary ! Gold is a sure sign of trouble ahead! 

Edited November 8, 2023 by NewStyleKing

[robinjojo]

That's a very reasonable price!  The coin does have a very complete reverse as well. 

I was the only other bidder for that lot and I am happy that you won it.

[NewStyleKing]

Thanks @Robinjojo !  It is far better than the photographs. The original flan was underweight and smallish, the obverse die was well used , almost to destruction . What a story it could tell!  I think the "home grown" store of Athenian silver was running out. The next coin Griffin of Apellikon of Teos are well struck and of 12 obverses. Maybe Mithradates sent some silver over to tide them over whilst he sent Apellikon to take Delos and its treasury from Roman control...he failed and Archaelos had to do the job! However the next coins of King Mithradates are rare  but there is a massive striking of AE , and the gold tells of trouble.....think the gold coins struck at the end of the Peloponnesian war from the statues from the Parthenon.....same here!