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Research Coins: Electronic Auction

 

Extremely Rare Marathos Tetradrachm

303, Lot: 74. Estimate $300.
Sold for $951. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

PHOENICIA, Marathos. Circa 240/39-151/0 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 16.18 g, 12h). Dated CY 35? (227/6 BC). Turreted head of Tyche right / Marathos seated left on pile of shields, holding aphlaston and filleted branch; date in Phoenician characters below. Duyrat, Ateliers 57-8 (D2/RA?); HGC 10, 184; DCA 822. Fine, porous, ancient chip on obverse. Extremely rare.


Marathos was a dependency of its more powerful neighbor Arados and only enjoyed brief periods of greater autonomy, when it could strike higher value coins. Presumably its tetradrachms were withdrawn when Arados reasserted itself.

Duyrat only recorded coins from years 33 and 35 from this obverse die. Those for the year 33 have the date in the left field, not the exergue, so this coin is probably from year 35 or some otherwise unrecorded date from around the same time. Unfortunately, both year 35 tetradrachms cited by Duyrat are unillustrated specimens from Berlin.