MACEDON, Kings of. Philip V. 221-179 BC. AR Didrachm (8.51 gm). Struck 
      182-179 BC. Diademed head right / BASILEWS FILIPPOU, club within wreath, 
      one monogram above, two monograms below; trident to left. Mamroth, "Die 
      Silbermünzen des Königs Philippos V von Makedonien," ZfN (1930), 22; 
      Boston MFA 718; SNG Alpha Bank 1053 var. (last monogram different). Nice 
      EF, well centered and attractive. ($1500) The crushing military defeat at 
      Kynoskephalai in 197 BC thwarted any ambitious designs by Philip of 
      domination of his fellow Greeks and Romans alike, and no royal coinage 
      seems to have been struck in Macedon until about 188/7 when he embarked on 
      a new policy, in alliance with Rome, of economic and military 
      reconstruction. To finance this reform required the mining of great 
      quantities of silver by re-opening of old mines and the prospecting for 
      new ones. The new silver coinage was comprised of tetradrachms, didrachms, 
      drachms and hemidrachms. This new prosperity and sound economic policy, 
      together with the rise of trade and liberalisation of local institutions 
      in the major urban centres, filled the royal treasury (which armed 18,000 
      mercenaries) under the rule of Philip.s successor, Perseus. The 6,000 
      talents and vast quantities of precious vessels that came into the hands 
      of Aemilius Paulus after the decisive battle of Pydna in 168 attested to 
      the economic vigour of Macedon up to the very eve of its collapse as an 
      independent state.


Triton V Sale, 16 Jan 2002, lot 1311.

By permission of CNG, www.cngcoins.com.