SELEUKID KINGS. Antiochos I Soter, 281-261 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 29 mm, 16.53 g, 1 h), posthumous interregnum issue, ΔΕΛ-mint associated with Antiochia on the Orontes. Diademed head of Antiochos I to right. Rev. ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ - ΑИΤΙΟΧΟΥ Apollo, nude, seated left on omphalos, holding arrow in his right hand and leaning with his left on bow. HGC 9, 295. SC 641. Rare. Scratches in the reverse field, otherwise, 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.