Lot 3889

Seleukis and Pieria / Antioch - AE Tetrachalkon (Pseudo-autonomous issue, with countermark stamped during the reign of Cleopatra VII (c. 37-6 BC?) 12.06g) - Laureate head of Zeus to right, c/m female head (Cleopatra VII?) to left within oval incuse / ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΩΣ in two lines to right, ΙΕΡΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΣΥΛΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΑΥΤΟΝΟΜΟΥ in two lines to left, in between Zeus enthroned to left holding Nike who crowns him and holding sceptre, all within laurel wreath (RPC I 4219 / McAlee 46 / c/m: McAlee p. 108-9, fig. 15 and p. 74, note 25) - Host coin F/VF, c/m F/VF, a very rare issue. According to McAlee the portrait in these countermarks on tetrachalkoi were attributed to Apollo, but he attributes them to Cleopatra. These countermarks were applied to mark coins 'circulating in the Syro-Phoenician territories which were given to her by Mark Antony'.