SELEUKID KINGS. Demetrios III Eukairos, 97/6-88/7 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 29 mm, 16.00 g, 12 h), uncertain mint in Cilicia, likely Tarsos, perhaps 88/7. Diademed head of Demetrios III to right.
Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΔHMHTPIOY - ΦΙΛΟMHTOPOΣ / EYEPΓETOY Zeus seated left, holding Nike in his right hand and long scepter in his left; to outer left, monogram above A; below throne, Δ. CSE 390 var. (differing monogram below throne). SC pl. 55, 2444b (
same dies). SMA 434. Extremely rare and very likely the finest known example of this highly interesting issue. Well struck on a broad flan and with a portrait of unusually fine style. Light roughness
, otherwise, good extremely fine.
From a European collection, formed before 2005.
The very rare tetradrachms of Demetrios III from Cilicia are not only the only ones to depict him without a beard, but they also feature completely different epithets from those found on coins from Antiochia and Damaskos, where the king is referred to as Theos Philopator Soter ('the god, the father-loving savior'). In contrast, the Cilician coins use the epithets Philometor Euergetes ('mother-loving' and 'benefactor'). The piece presented here is likely the finest known specimen from the Cilician mint discovered to date
