SELEUKID EMPIRE. Seleukos I Nikator. Second satrapy and kingship, 312-281 BC. AR Fifth Tetradrachm (16mm, 3.00 g, 8h). Babylon I mint. Struck circa 311-300 BC. VF.

CNG Feature Auction 130
Lot: 207. Estimated: $ 500

Greek, Silver

Sold For $ 575. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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SELEUKID EMPIRE. Seleukos I Nikator. Second satrapy and kingship, 312-281 BC. AR Fifth Tetradrachm (16mm, 3.00 g, 8h). Babylon I mint. Struck circa 311-300 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Club and quiver-over-bow; monogram in wreath to left, H to right. SC 84; Price 3705; A. Spaer, “A New Type of Alexander the Great?” in INJ 5 (1981), 1; HGC 9, 70. Minor marks, some roughness on obverse. VF. Extremely rare, two published, with three additional in CoinArchives (though one has the right field control off the flan, so may be a different issue).

Previous authors have noted the denomination of this rare issue as fifth tetradrachm based on the Macedonian standard used from Archelaos through Philip II. However, the weights of the two published pieces at the time did not comport well with this idea, and the fact that this type is only known in the eastern mint of Babylon made such a weight standard doubtful. As such, we had been calling these coins AR Units. Recently, though, examples from the various issues of this type have been found with very little wear, and their weights are compatible with a fifth tetradrachm on the Attic standard, which was used at Babylon on contemporary issues.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 130 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 23-24 September 2025. This lot is in Session One, which will begin 23 September at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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