PTOLEMAIC KINGS OF EGYPT. Ptolemy III Euergetes, 246-222 BC. Tetradrachm (Subaeratus, 34 mm, 18.40 g, 10 h), a contemporary imitation. Diademed head of Ptolemy I to right, wearing aegis around neck. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ Eagle, with closed wings, standing right on thunderbolt; to left, Ρ; to right, Θ. Some traces of corrosion and breaks in plating and with stress marks on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.
This highly unusual plated imitation is remarkable not only for its impressive portrait, but also for its excessively broad and heavy flan, which is much larger than the official Ptolemaic tetradrachms of the period. At some point, the coin was also compressed laterally, giving it an appearance reminiscent of Arabian tetradrachms from the Oman Peninsula (cf. Leu 10 (2021), 2243) - perhaps offering a clue as to where the piece circulated