SELEUKID KINGS OF SYRIA. Antiochos VIII Epiphanes (Grypos) (?), 121/0-97/6 BC. Weight of 1 Mina (Lead, 96x99 mm, 733.00 g). ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ANTIOXOY – ΦΙΛO[...] / AΓOPANO[...] / ΠΟΛEMOY Seleuking anchor; to right, ETOYΣ; to left, date (erased). Rev. Latticework design. Cf. Pondera 14243 and 3526 (slightly differing legends). Unpublished and of great interest. Date erased and with a curious piece of lead inserted into the original weight, otherwise, very fine.

Unfortunately, the date on this very interesting Seleukid weight was deliberately chiseled out, but if the epithet of the king reads ΦΙΛOM..., as seems likely, it belongs to Antiochos VIII Epiphanes Philometor Kallinikos (121/0-97/6 BC). The weight was signed by an agoranomos Polemon, or less likely, Polemokrates. The large bulge visible on both sides is not part of the original design, rather, it is a separate piece of lead that was inserted to the weight at a later point for an unknown reason (signing it with a magistrate's new name?)