Lot 1906
Ptolemaic Kingdom. Arsinöe II, wife of Ptolemy II. Gold octadrachm (27.38 g), died 270 BC. Alexandria, under Ptolemy VI-VIII, ca. 170-116 BC. Diademed and veiled head of Arsinöe II right; above, tip of a lotus scepter; behind, K. Reverse: Double cornucopiae bound with fillet. Svoronos 1498-9; Troxell p. 67, 8; SNG Copenhagen 321-2. A marvelous specimen! Intensely lustrous. Mint State. Estimate Value $20,000 - UP
From the Herbert & Aphrodite Rubin Collection; Ex CNA XVI (16 August 1991), 236.
After the famous Cleopatra VII, who ruled in her own right, Arsinöe II was arguably the most powerful and influential queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Through the development of the dynastic royal cult, she became an avatar of Isis-Aphrodite and and the ultimate source of the legitimate Ptolemaic bloodline.
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| Realized $37,600 |
