KINGS of MACEDON. Perseus. Circa 125-88 BC. AR Drachm (16mm, 2.71 gm). Imitating Rhodian style drachms, stuck circa 171 BC. Facing head of Helios turned slightly right / Rose with bud to right;
GORGOS above, crude grape bunch to lower left. Ashton, "A Series of Pseudo-Rhodian Drachms from Mainland Greece,"
NumChron 1988, 23; SNG Helsinki 796 var. (symbol); SNG Copenhagen -. Toned EF.
According to Ashton (NumChron 1988, pp. 29-30), this coinage was struck by Perseus to pay Cretan mercenaries serving in his army. The Rhodian coinage circulated on Crete, and thus was a familiar and trusted currency for the Cretans, and it is likely that they would have required payment in that form (see also Ashton, SM 146 (May 1987), pg. 34).
