SELEUKID KINGS. Antiochos I Soter, 281-261 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 30 mm, 16.44 g, 12 h), posthumous interregnum issue, ΔΕΛ-mint associated with Antiochia on the Orontes, circa 246-244. Diademed head of Antiochos I to right. Rev. ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ - ANTIOX[OY] Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow in his right hand and resting his left on grounded bow. SC 641. Rare. Harshly cleaned, otherwise, good very fine.


The rare Soter-tetradrachms are among the great mysteries of the early Seleukid series. Various explanations for the replacement of the title 'basileus', i.e. 'king', with the epithet 'soter', i.e. 'saviour', have been offered, none of which is entirely satisfactory. Our coin is catalogued as a posthumous issue struck in an alleged interregnum in Syria in 246-244, but with the caveat that this is still hotly debated.