CARIA. Antioch ad Maeandrum. Circa 165-145. Tetradrachm (Silver, 26 mm, 15.78 g, 1 h), Hermogenes, magistrate. Laureate head of Zeus to right. Rev. EPMOΓENHΣ - ANTIOXEΩN Eagle, wings closed, standing left on a thunderbolt, being crowned by a small Nike flying left; all within maeander pattern. BMC -. Leschhorn, Lexicon of Greek Coin Inscriptions -. McClean -. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG Lockett -. SNG von Aulock -. Weber -. Apparently unpublished. A very interesting piece with a magnificent head of Zeus. Slightly rough, otherwise, good very fine.

Aside from their extreme rarity, what makes the Zeus-eagle tetradrachms of Antiochia ad Maeandrum especially interesting is the fact that the eagle comes with differing attributes and symbols. The present and apparently unpublished piece shows us an eagle that is crowned with a wreath by a small Nike flying behind it. Other types include an eagle with a thyrsos (see lot 109 below, also unpublished), an eagle with a cornucopiae (SNG von Aulock 2417) and a plain eagle (Gorny & Mosch 207 (2012), 358). These varieties all appear to be unique to certain magistrates and therefore may represent yearly issues, but the connections between the symbols and the magistrates are yet to be understood