Kings of Macedon. Demetrios I Poliorketes, 306-283 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 28 mm, 17.28 g). Chalcis. 291-290 BC. Diademed head right, with bull’s horn above his forehead. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ, Poseidon standing left, foot on rock, holding trident; on left field, Σ; below king's name to left, dolphin swimming downwards. Newell - (but cf. 146, with a ΣΕ monogram instead of an Σ, and a differing legend arrangement). SNG München -. SNG Alpha Bank -. SNG Saroglos -. Cf. the reverse die of CNG, MBS 81, 20 May 2009, lot 371 (bearing a Σ, but with a different legend arrangement). Cabinet tone with light iridescence. Metal fault on the obverse, possibly a die break, and some minor marks. With a striking and impressive portrait of Demetrios. Otherwise, Near Extremely Fine. Exceedingly Rare, and possibly Unique.
From a Swiss collection; ex Nomos AG 16, 10 May 2018, lot 74.
The Nomos auction cataloguer noted: “This coin must have been struck during the second phase of Demetrios’ first issue from Chalkis. The very first examples, Newell 146 and the piece in CNG MBS 81, both have the positions of the king’s name and title reversed: Δημητριου Βασιλεως, rather than the standard Βασιλεωs Δημητριου as here.” We would like to add a remark on the obverse die, namely the strikingly powerful portrait of the king: Newell 146 exhibits a portrait markedly more naturalistic than most known types, closely akin to Newell 80 from the Pella mint. Yet our example is entirely different. The expression, with its fixed yet fierce vitreous eye, combined with the profound tension of the neck and jaw, seems to embody a veritable fury. Undoubtedly, it ranks among the most realistic and lifelike portrayals of the courageous king, with no comparable parallels known. Demetrios Poliorcetes remains one of the most captivating figures of the Hellenistic period, renowned for his audacious military exploits, commanding charisma, and life that verges on legend. His epithet “Poliorcetes,” meaning “the Besieger of Cities,” reflects his mastery in siegecraft. At the height of his power, the only city he failed to subdue was Rhodes, which, after withstanding his assault, famously commemorated its deliverance by erecting the colossal statue of its protective deity, Helios: the renowned Colossus of Rhodes. As further testament to his extraordinary character, Plutarch in the Parallel Lives fittingly pairs his biography with that of Mark Antony, who shared a similarly dramatic and tempestuous destiny. Yet unlike Antony, Demetrios had the improbable fortune of dying peacefully in bed, a royal prisoner-guest under comfortable house arrest at the court of his son-in-law, Seleukos I Nikator, king of Syria.