SELEUKID KINGS. Tryphon, circa 142-138 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 32 mm, 16.64 g, 12 h), Antiochia on the Orontes. Diademed head of Tryphon to right. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ / TPYΦΩNOΣ - AYTOKPATOPOΣ Spiked Macedonian (or Cretan?) helmet with cheek guards to left, adorned with wild goat's horn above visor; in inner left field, monogram of ΠA; below helmet, ΔH; all within oak wreath. CSE 256 var. (without monogram below helmet). Seyrig p. 3, 16-17 and p. 22, 6. SC 2031.3c. SMA 264 var. (monogram of ΠA placed below helmet and no ΔH). Rare and exceptionally well preserved, with a magnificent portrait of the infamous usurper and a wonderful reverse. A few light scratches on the obverse and with minor scrapes and die rust on the reverse, otherwise, extremely fine.

Tryphon was a former strategos of Demetrios I and Alexander I Balas who appointed the two-year-old Antiochos VI as king in 144 BC, acting as his tutor and protector. During this guardianship, the Jews, under Simon Thassi, successfully seceded from the Seleukid state after Tryphon captured and killed Simon's brother Jonathan Apphus in 143 BC. Tryphon later assumed the kingship for himself upon the death of Antiochos VI in 142/1 BC but was ultimately defeated and killed by Antiochos VII in 138 BC. Tryphon's main base and mint was Antioch, though he struck coins in other cities, most notably Byblos, Askalon, and Ake-Ptolemais. His issues from Coele-Syria and Phoenicia are particularly noteworthy for replacing the Seleukid Era with his personal regnal years - a deliberate break from Seleukid tradition. This innovation placed his coinage more in line with that of the Ptolemies, whose weight standard and reverse types had already influenced Seleukid coinage in these regions. Beyond the date system, Tryphon's reign also introduced a new visual language. The distinctive reverse type featuring a helmet, minted both with and without a surrounding oak wreath, marked a clear departure from traditional Seleukid designs, which commonly featured Apollo (seated or standing) or Tyche. The helmet, first appearing on a drachm of Antiochos VI in 143/2 BC marked with 'TPY' between the spike and horn, became the main coin type under Tryphon's own kingship. While often identified as a Macedonian helmet, K. Ehling has suggested it may actually be a Cretan helmet, possibly referencing the significant presence of Cretan mercenaries in Syria, who had arrived with Demetrios II in 147 BC. These numismatic and titulary changes underscore the fundamental reality of Tryphon's rule: as a usurper without dynastic ties to the Seleukid house, he had no claim to legitimate dynastic succession following the death of his protégé, Antiochos VI. Thus, he crafted a new model of sovereignty, distinguishing himself through unique imagery, the adoption of the title AYTOKPATOPOΣ, and the use of personal regnal years rather than the Seleukid Era. These radical departures from tradition highlight Tryphon’s conscious break with Seleukid norms, further reinforcing his status as an outsider to the dynasty.