TRITON III Unique Discovery Coin of Philip VI Andriscus
394. Philip V. 221-179 BC. AR Tetradrachm (16.71 gm). Helmeted head of the hero Perseus left, bearded, harpa over shoulder, in the center of a Macedonian shield; shield decorated w i t h seven six-pointed stars within double crescents / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ above, ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ below, club of Herakles within oak-wreath; three m o n o g r a m s , star to left. Mamroth, ZfN 40, - (monograms 4, 15, 9 - unlisted combination); Price, "The Larissa, 1968 Hoard." in Kraay-M0rkholm Essays, pg. 236, 32. Near EF/EF, obverse surface problems on helmet extending to the edge at 1:00. ($1250) From the Collection of Marian A. Sinton. For a coin ofT. Quinctius Flamininus see lot 815.
Rare Attic Weight Perseus Tetradrachm
397. P h i l i p VI Andriscus. 149-148 BC. AR Drachm (3.81 gm). Diademed h e a d right, wearing a slight beard / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ right, ΦΙΛΛΙΠΟΥ left, N a k e d Herakles standing left, holding an uncertain object in his right h a n d , club in his left, lion's skin hanging on left arm. Overstruck o n a R o m a n Republican denarius of C. Terentius Lucanus (Terentia 10; C r a w f o r d 217/1). Unpublished! Good VF, edge split in flan, bold traces of u n d e r t y p e still visible including the head of Roma, traces of R O M A a n d traces of the moneyer's name [T]ER LVC. Unique and unpublished! ($30,000) Λ remarkable Macedonian regal drachm overstruck on a denarius ofC. Terentius Lucanus that Crawford dates to Ì47 BC (the dating of which should now be revised to circa 150-149 BC). The Evidence of the undertype clearly indicates a date substantially later than the downfall of the Macedonian monarchy, which had ended with the defeat of Perseus by the Roman general L. Aemilius Paullus at Pydna in June of 168 BC. The only logical explanation of the existence of a regal type apparently belonging to the 140's is that the piece represents an issue by the Macedonian pretender Andriscus ('Philip VI").
395. Perseus. 178-168 BC. AR Attic Tetradrachm (16.87 gm). Diademed head of Perseus right / ΒΑΣΙ-ΛΕΩΣ ΠΕΡ-ΣΕΩΣ, Eagle standing right on thunderbolt; m o n o g r a m above, m o n o g r a m to right, m o n o g r a m between legs; all within laurel wreath, star below wreath. SNG Copenhagen -; SNG Ashmolean -; Mamroth, "Die Silbermünzen des Königs Perseus," ZfN 38 (1928), 14; Jameson 1014. Attractively toned, EF. Rare. ($1500)
Andriscus would seem to have beet1 an adventurer from Adramyltium in the Troad. He claimed to be the son of Perseus and Uiodice, and thus the legitimate heir to the throne of Macedonia. How he attempted to substantiate his claim is unclear, but it was evidently accepted by enough people to elevate his uprising from the status of a minor annoyance to the level of full scale war requiring the intervention of a large Roman army under the command of one of the Republic's principal generals. Initially Andriscus tried to enlist the support of his uncle, King Demetrius I of Syria who, probably in 153 BC, sent him to Rome to press his claim. The Romans did not lake the young upstart seriously and obviously did not regard him as a significant threat to the stability of the Macedonian region. Fearing imprisonment, Andriscus escaped to Asia Minor where he was encouraged in his enterprise by the Macedonian wife of the Pergamene prince Athenaeus. Crossing over to Thrace, he received the support of the chieflans Teres and Barsabas who provided him with an army with which he invaded Macedonia. Success in various engagements brought further support to his cause and he even began to threaten Thessaly (149 BC). The Romans were, by this time, ftdly aware of their former mistake and in consequence had appointed P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum to organize resistance to the usurper in Greece. Andriscus, with the overconfidence born of easy success, refused to negotiate with Scipio and proceeded to win a resounding victory over a small Roman army commanded by the Praetor P. juventius Thnlna.
From the Collection of Marian A. Sinton.
The time had come for a full-scale military confrontation and the Romans called upon the services of Q. Caecilius Metellus (later called Macedonicus), a veteran of Aemilius Paullus' Macedonian campaign twenty years earlier. Against a large Roman army under a seasoned general, and with the support of the Pergamene fleet provided by Rome's ally Attalus I, the Macedonian pretender stood no chance of success. His army was routed and the nationalist movement collapsed as suddenly as it had begun. Fleeing from the field of battle, Andriscus made good his escape to Thrace where he attempted to rally support. However, his was obviously a lost cause and he was soon taken prisoner by the Romans. Prior to his execution he adorned the triumph of Metellus Macedonicus through the streets of Rome. With the removal of Andriscus, the first steps were taken in the organization of the territory as a Roman province. Various attempts have been made in the past to attribute certain Macedonian issues with the uprising of Andriscus. These include certain varieties of Philip V tetradrachms (see lot 393) and the LEG MAKEΔΟΝΩΝ tetradrachms with Artemis on the obverse (see lot 398). Unfortunately considerable doubts now surround these attributions. Therefore, prior to the discovery of this specimen, no coinage could be securely attributed to either Andriscus himself or the uprising surrounding his affairs in Macedonia.
396. Perseus. 178-168 BC. AR Tetradrachm (15.07 gm). Diademed head of Perseus right / ΒΑΣΙ-ΛΕΩΣ ΠΕΡ-ΣΕΩΣ, eagle standing right on thunderbolt; Κ above, Φ to right, Φ between legs; all within laurel wreath. SNG C o p e n h a g e n 1269 (same dies); M a m r o t h , "Die Silbermünzen des Königs Perseus," ZfN 38 (1928), 21b. EF. ($1000)
- David Sear
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