HistoricalCoins

Sale: CNG 69, Lot: 728. Closing Date: Jun 08, 
2005. PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy III 
Euergetes. 246-221 BC. Estimate $3000 Sold For 
$3600 

PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy III Euergetes. 
246-221 BC. AR Tetradrachm (13.79 gm, 12h). 
Lebedos mint. Diademed head right / Eagle standing 
left on thunderbolt; cornucopiae to left, grape 
bunch to right. Svoronos 915; SNG Copenhagen -. 
Good VF, minor die rust on obverse, small mark on 
reverse, reverse lightly double struck. Extremely 
rare. ($3000)

In the Third Syrian War (246-241 BC), Ptolemy III 
wrested control of a number of cities in western 
Asia Minor from the Seleukids. Lebedos was one 
such city, which Ptolemy subsequently refounded as 
Ptolemaïs. Only a handful of these Ptolemaic coins 
of Lebedos are known, and their attribution to 
this mint is based primarily on their findspots 
and the presence of a grape bunch (a symbol of 
Lebedos) symbol. Although Ptolemaic tetradrachms 
of all mints typically feature an idealized 
portrait of Ptolemy I Soter on the obverse, these 
coins of Lebedos exhibit a portrait whose features 
are quite different and more realistic, suggesting 
they are actually a portrait of Ptolemy III. 
Although unusual, this is not a unique occurrence 
in the series, as portrait tetradrachms are known 
of Ptolemy IV and V from mints in Phoenicia.

Copyright © CNG 2002

High bid of $3600, $4140 including 15% buyers fee, or approximately €2916, £1980, C$4500, A$4680, on June 8, 2005.

Used by permission of CNG, www.cngcoins.com