CARIA. Antioch ad Maeandrum. Circa 90/89-65/60 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 27 mm, 16.16 g, 12 h), Hermogenes, magistrate. Laureate head of Zeus to right. Rev. EPMOΓENHΣ - ANTIOXEΩN Eagle, wings closed, standing left on thunderbolt; to left, filleted kerykeion; all within maeander pattern. BMC -. Leschhorn, Lexicon of Greek Coin Inscriptions -. McClean -. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG Lockett -. SNG von Aulock -. Thonemann (forthcoming) Group B, 10.a (O10/R23, this coin). Weber -. Unique and of great importance. The obverse a bit weak and with a few deposits, otherwise, very fine.
The emergence of this unique tetradrachm of Hermogenes is of great interest to the study of the coinage of Antioch ad Maeandrum: not only does it share an obverse die with an issue of the magistrate Menephron (Thonemann 9.a-b), but the reverse also uses Menephron's cornucopiae symbol as opposed to Hermogenes' usual Nike flying left to crown the eagle. Menephron and Hermogenes thus probably followed one another as magistrates, most likely in that order, as the present coin shows some more die wear on the obverse, while the reverse symbol may have been changed from the cornucopiae to the Nike when new dies were ordered by and for Hermogenes. Die matches in the Antiochian silver series are extremely rare, with the only other attested occurrence being an obverse link between Diotrephes for the fourth time, Menandros and Aineas (see above, lot 159), rendering the present issue all the more important for establishing a relative chronology of the series