LYDIA. Blaundus. Antoninus Pius, 138-161. Pentassarion (Orichalcum, 31 mm, 17.00 g, 1 h), Kl. Symmachos, archon. ΑY ΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΑΝΤΩΝЄΙΝΟϹ Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Antoninus Pius to right, seen from behind. Rev. ΑΡΧ•ΚΛ•ϹYΜΜΑΧΟY•ΒΛAYΝΔЄΩΝ•ΜΑΚЄΔΟΝ Apollo, radiate and in long chiton, standing front, head to right, holding plectrum in his right hand and kithara in his left. BMC 75 = RPC IV.2 online 1185.1 (same dies). Extremely rare and in exceptional condition. A beautifully struck piece with a splendid portrait. Very minor flaking on the obverse, otherwise, extremely fine.

The reverse legend on this issue is a reference to the settlement of Macedonian soldiers in Blaundos in the Hellenistic period. Many of these settlers arrived as exiles in Asia Minor following the defeat of Perseus against the Romans in 168 BC and the subsequent expulsion of the surviving Macedonian military elite from their native land. Here they were warmly welcomed by the Attalids, who settled them as military colonists in various cities across their newly gained holdings in western and central Asia Minor.