KINGS OF MACEDON. Demetrios I Poliorketes, 306-283 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 31 mm, 16.90 g, 10 h), Amphipolis, circa 291-290. Diademed head of Demetrios to right, with bull's horn above his forehead. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ Poseidon seated left on rocks, holding aphlaston in his right hand and trident in his left; in inner left field, monogram of ΦΙΛE; in inner right field, monogram of HP. Newell -, cf. 110 (monogram 1) and 107 (monogram 2). Extremely rare and of great interest. Well struck on a broad flan. Thin flan crack, otherwise, good very fine.


Newell divided his series IV at Amphipolis into two distinct groups, which he differentiated by the placement of Demetrios' name to the right and of his title to the left of Poseidon and vice versa - a radical change that occurred in all of Demetrios' mints at the time. Our coin links the two groups, as the monogram of Phile... appears on Newell 110 (Group B), whereas that of Her... is also present on Newell 107 (Group A). The erudite scholar had in fact anticipated the appearance of such a coin, for he remarks on p. 108: 'The future may thus bring forth ... a coin of Group B with the monogram of HP'.