SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Antioch. Mark Antony & Cleopatra VII of Egypt. 36 BC. AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 13.80 g, 12h). Struck circa 36-34 BC. VF.

Keystone 17 – The W. Toliver Besson Collection
Lot: 180. Estimated: $ 5 000

Roman Provincial, Silver

Sold For $ 10 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Antioch. Mark Antony & Cleopatra VII of Egypt. 36 BC. AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 13.80 g, 12h). Struck circa 36-34 BC. Diademed bust of Cleopatra right, wearing earring, necklace, and embroidered dress / Bare head of Marc Antony right. McAlee 174; RPC I 4094; Prieur 27; HGC 9, 1361. Toned, porosity, lamination and edge flaw, banker’s mark. VF. Clear portraits and well centered.

From the W. Toliver Besson Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 129 (13 May 2025), lot 425.

These remarkable silver tetradrachms were probably struck at Antioch during the Parthian / Armenian campaign of 36-34 BC to honor perhaps the most famous “power couple” of all time. The talented die engraver has taken particular care to give Cleopatra a powerful, almost masculine profile to complement Antony’s pugnacious portrait. Ancient historians note that Cleopatra was not incomparably beautiful (although none suggest she was anything less than pleasing to gaze upon), but her remarkable mind, her musical voice, and the vast wealth of her kingdom made her irresistible to two of the most powerful men of the age: Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. The titles display Cleopatra’s dominance in the relationship, depicting her on the obverse and touting her as “Queen Cleopatra, new (or “young”) goddess,” while Antony remains only a mortal “victorious general and Triumvir.”

Closing Date and Time: 22 July 2026 at 10:59:40 ET.



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