Moving Military Mint in the Vicinity of Tigranocerta - AR Tetradrachm of Philip

ANRO-908; Kovacs-208; SC 2461.1

Moving Military Mint in the Vicinity of Tigranocerta c. 66/5BC

AR Tetradrachm

Obv. Head of Philip Philadelphus I diademed right, bead reel border.
Rev. Zeus Nicephorus enthroned left; on right ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟV, on left ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟVΣ / ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΣ; monograms in inner left field and mint mark in exergue.

CNG eAuction 243 Lot 159 (27-Oct-2010)
25mm, 14.62 g, 1h

This issue of "pseudo-Philip" tetradrachms (Kov-208), a type favored by the Roman generals in the East, can easily be attributed by its control marks on the coin's reverse. The mint marks ΔΗ and {MO} are of the same officials responsible for the bronze and silver issues at Tigranocerta immediately before Pompey's reorganization of Armenia. The monogram of Pompey's lieutenant, Gabinius {ΓΑΒ} appears in the exergue, and the monogram {CTP} in the inner left field identifies a moving military mint (stratia). A similar mint mark was employed contemporaneously on Parthian silver coins (Sellwood 1980: 15).

Kovacs, Frank L. “Armenian Coinage in the Classical Period” CNS 10, Classical Numismatic Group, Lancaster, 2016, pp. 37.