Lot 135: Ptolemaic Kingdom. Ptolemy I Soter. As Satrap, 323-305 B.C. AR tetradrachm. Tyre, in the name of Alexander III, dated RY 34 of king 'Ozmilk (316/5 B.C.). Alexandrine Ptolemy I Tetradrachm.

Ptolemaic Kingdom. Ptolemy I Soter. As Satrap, 323-305 B.C. AR tetradrachm (28 mm, 16.99 g, 6 h). Tyre, in the name of Alexander III, dated RY 34 of king 'Ozmilk (316/5 B.C.). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated left, holding eagle and scepter; in left field, Phoenician letters ‘K and date (|||| –=, but faint). Price 3287 (Ake); Newell 38. Good centering. Very fine.

The Alexandrine issues attributed to Ake by Newell and followed by Price have more recently been reassigned to Tyre, first by Lemaire and again by Le Rider, and then followed by Elayi and Elayi. The debate centers around the Phoenician letters 'K (Ayn Kof) which precede the date. Newell saw these letters as an abbreviation for Ake, while Lemaire proposed that they represent the first and last letters of king 'Ozmilk's name. If the latter is correct, which it seems to be, then the dates proposed by Newell and followed by Price are incorrect. Each of the authors mentioned have determined different BC dates for the Phoenician dates on the coins; here we follow the chronology of Elayi and Elayi, which places 'Ozmilk's reign beginning in 349/8 B.C.

• Offered By: Barry P. Murphy
• Lot #: 135
• Listing #: 234036
• Closed: Friday, June 3, 2016 6:07:00 PM CT
• Estimate: $200