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Philip II Philadelphus, Tetradrachm


Al Kowsky

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I recently added a tetradrachm of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, with a handsome portrait of Ptolemy I, to my collection. This coin was really a replacement to a tetradrachm of Ptolemy VI that I sold 12 years ago. This tetradrachm has the mysterious Greek letter "delta" behind the head of Ptolemy, a letter that frequently appears in micro form behind the ear on many coins of Ptolemy I & II. For a long time it was thought that the "delta" letter was a cryptic signature of a talented die engraver, however, this idea has been debunked because that letter has been used on many dies over a long period of time. To this day we still don't know the significance of the letter "delta" on these coins 🤔. One thing is certain, the coins with this letter display unusually fine die engraving.

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PTOLEMAIC-EGYPT. Ptolemy II Philadelphus, 285-246 BC (struck c. 274 BC). Sidon Mint. Obverse: Diademed head of Ptolemy I, aegis around neck. Reverse: Eagle standing on thunderbolt, translated inscription, "King Ptolemy", Sidon monogram in left field. Svoronos 713. Ex CNG Triton I, lot 630, December 2, 1997.

Pictured below is a tetradrachm of Ptolemy I Soter, 305-282 BC, that was auctioned by a U.K. company on the 1st Dibs website, it sold for $5,000. The obverse has a micro letter "delta" behind Ptolemy's ear. On coins that are weakly struck or have considerable wear this letter may be difficult to spot.

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Pictured below is the tetradrachm of Ptolemy VI that Heritage auctioned for me on April 25, 2012. The coin had a long die break from the ear to the back of the head, the reverse was struck off-center, & it had a touch of "horn silver" on the reverse, never the less, it did well at auction, $2,185 😃. This same coin reappeared at auction on December 4, 2013, where it sold for $3,500😲! The Heritage photos were of very poor quality, my photos are below the Heritage photos.

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Website members are welcome to post any of their Greco-Egyptian portrait coins ☺️.

I should get in the habit of proof reading these threads 😏....

 

 

Edited by Al Kowsky
correction
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2 hours ago, Broucheion said:

Hi @Al Kowsky,

Great coins but a slip of the 'pen' I think. That would be Ptolemy Philadelphos or Ptolemy VI, not Philip.

- Broucheion

Broucheion, Thanks for catching the Ptolemy VI error, I'll edit the thread 😮. Both Philadelphos & Philadelphus are correct 😉.

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