Nomos 8

KINGS of MACEDON. Philip II. 359-336 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 22mm, 14.36 g 3), Pella, struck under Philip III, 323/2-c. 315. Laureate head of Zeus to left. Rev. ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ Jockey, holding palm branch, riding a horse walking to left; to right, below horse’s foreleg, Θ. Le Rider 438. SNG ANS 430. Very rare. Sharply struck and with a powerful head of Zeus. Good extremely fine.

From a European collection, formed before 2005.

Tetradrachms in the name of Philip II with left facing heads of Zeus are basically very rare. They were produced solely at Pella and fall right at the beginning of the late group III: only two obverse dies were used in their minting and the head of Zeus shows a remarkable elegance. This suggests that they were actually conceived of as being a recognizable coinage for Philip III, differentiated from the coins of his father by the direction Zeus faced. In any event, the change was apparently not accepted and all the remaining coinage of Philip III reverted to the normal type, as in the following lots.