★ An exceptional example of Pontic portraiture. ★

Kings of Pontos. Mithradates III. Amaseia or Sinope, circa 200 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 29.81 mm, 16.11 g). Diademed and draped bust of Mithradates III right. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - MIΘ PAΔATOY Zeus enthroned left, holding sceptre and eagle; star within crescent to left; monograms behind and below throne. Callataÿ, First, p. 68, fig. 12 (O3/R1) = Leu 81, 236 (same dies). HGC 7, 320. Cabinet tone. An exceptional example of Pontic portraiture. Good Very Fine. Extremely rare.

This intriguing coin was minted under one of the most obscure and mysterious kings of the early Mithradatic dynasty of Pontos. Little is known about Mithradates III beyond his striking series of tetradrachms, characterized by a highly realistic portrait. His reign likely occurred between 220 and 190 BC, a period lost to history as the Kingdom of Pontos faded into obscurity. Virtually nothing is known about his time on the throne, and some historians even question his very existence, adding to the enigma of this shadowy figure.