KINGS OF MACEDON. Philip V, 221-179 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 31 mm, 16.90 g, 6 h), Pella or Amphipolis, circa 220-211 BC. Diademed head of Philip V to right. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ Athena Alkidemos striding left, seen three-quarters from behind, brandishing thunderbolt in her right hand and holding shield decorated with a star on her left arm; in inner left field, monogram of ΣΡ; in inner right field, monogram of ΕΡ. AMNG III, 2 and pl. 34, 16. Boehringer, Chronologie, pl. 7, 6 (same obverse die). HGC 3.1, 1055. Mamroth, Philip, 1. SNG Alpha Bank 1050 (same dies). SNG Berry 371 (same dies). SNG Lockett 1528 (same dies). Very well centered, nicely toned and with an excellent portrait, struck in high relief. Some tiny marks, otherwise, about extremely fine.



When Demetrios II Aitolikos unexpectedly died in 229 BC during a campaign against the Dardanians, his son Philip, born in 238 BC and later known as Philip V of Macedon, was still a child. Consequently, his great-uncle Antigonos III Doson took control of the throne. Antigonos played a crucial role in stabilizing the kingdom and defending its interests, particularly by securing Macedonian influence in the Greek world. Following his death in 221 BC, Philip V ascended to the throne as a young ruler. Philip quickly proved to be an ambitious and determined monarch, seeking to restore Macedon’s power. He launched several military campaigns, particularly against the Aetolian League and the Greek city-states, with the goal of reasserting Macedonian dominance.

His reign also saw Macedon’s involvement in the Second Punic War, where he fatally allied with Hannibal of Carthage against Rome. This alliance ultimately brought Macedon into direct conflict with the Republic, leading to its defeat in the Roman-Macedonian Wars. Philip V ruled until his death in 179 BC, leaving a weakened kingdom after his unsuccessful struggles against Rome. The magnificent tetradrachm presented here belongs to the early years of Philip V's reign. It is notable for its striking portrait, the first royal image to appear on coins under the Antigonid dynasty in over half a century, since the time of Philip's great-grandfather, Demetrios I Poliorketes (294-287 BC).

Issued between 220 and 211 BC, when Philip V was only 18 to 27 years old, this portrait depicts him as a bearded, battle-hardened ruler, clearly distinguishing him from the clean-shaven portraits of earlier and contemporary Hellenistic rulers in rival kingdoms. The closest comparison is found in the extremely rare tetradrachms of the Seleukid usurper Achaios, which also feature a bearded portrait and a virtually identical reverse design. However, these coins were clearly modeled after Philip’s prototypes, not the other way around, in a deliberate departure from traditional Seleukid motifs.