GREEK. KINGS OF CAPPADOCIA. Ariarathes VII Philometor. Circa 107/6-101/0 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (16.71g). In the name and types of Antiochos VII of Syria. Mint A (Eusebia-Mazaka). Struck circa 107/6-104/3 BC. Diademed head right / Athena Nikephoros standing left; monogram above A to outer left, O to inner left, (A) to inner right; all within laurel wreath. Lorber & Houghton Series 1, Issue 3, 121-151 (obverse die A6); SC 2148; HGC 7, 829; HGC 9, 1069. Well centred and struck on sound metal, with a lovely old cabinet toning. aEF. This tetradrachm, struck in the name and style of Antiochos VII of Syria, was in fact issued by Ariarathes VII Philometor, king of Cappadocia, and is a clear piece of political theatre in silver. By borrowing the imagery and titles of the former Seleukid ruler, Ariarathes claimed legitimacy and continuity with the wider Hellenistic royal tradition while steering through a period of dynastic tension and Seleukid interference. Struck at the Cappadocian capital of Eusebia Mazaka, it shows how Cappadocian rulers tried to preserve their independence by echoing the prestige of past empires, turning coinage into a vehicle for both memory and message in the late Hellenistic world. (P)

Estimate: AUD 1000