KINGS OF MACEDON. Antigonos II Gonatas (?), 277/6-239 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 31 mm, 17.00 g, 6 h), Amphipolis (?), circa 246/5-221. Head of Poseidon to right, wearing wreath of seaweed. Rev. Apollo seated to left on prow, holding bow in his right hand; on the planks, BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ANTIΓONOΥ in two lines; in exergue, monogram. EHC 436. HGC 3, 1051. Panagopoulou 174-184 var. (O29/R-). SNG Alpha Bank 1046-1047. Beautifully toned and with a magnificent head of Poseidon of fine style. A few light scratches, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.


The attribution of the beautiful Poseidon-tetradrachms of a 'King Antigonos' with Apollo seated on a prow on the reverse has long posed a problem. They were initially assigned to Antigonos II Gonatas and believed to celebrate his victory in the Battle of Kos, in which he defeated a Ptolemaic fleet in the late 260s or early 250s BC and dedicated the trireme Isthmia, his flagship, to Apollo. Later commentatores attributed the coins to Antigonos III Doson, connecting them to his short campaign in Caria 227-225. However, more recent hoard evidence and the occurence of identical monograms on the Pan/Athena-tetradrachms of Antigonos II have led to another reinterpretation, according to which the issue was initiated by Antigonos II after his victory in the naval Battle of Andros in 246/5 and continued alongside the Pan series by his successors Demetrios II and Antigonos III Doson, of whom otherwise no coinage is known.