★ A very rare Tetradrachm of Demetrios III ★

SELEUKID KINGS. Demetrios III Eukairos, 97/6-88/7 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 27 mm, 15.82 g, 12 h), Antiochia on the Orontes, perhaps 88/7. Diademed head of Demetrios III to right. Rev. BAΣIΛ[EΩΣ] / ΔHMHTPI[OY] / ΘEOY - ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟ[Σ] / ΣΩΤΗΡΟ[Σ] Zeus seated left, holding Nike in his right hand and long scepter in his left; to outer left, N above [A]; below throne, monogram. HGC 9, 1303. SC pl. 54, 2445 ( same obverse die ). Very rare. Slightly rough, otherwise, good very fine.

From a European collection, formed before 2005.

Demetrios III, a son of Antiochos VIII (and thus a brother of Seleukos VI, Antiochos XI, and Philip I), was installed as king in Damaskos in 97/6 BC by Ptolemy IX. He became involved in a Jewish civil war when invited by rebels to attack their hated king, Alexander Jannaeus. Demetrios defeated Alexander near Shechem, but his fortunes quickly changed when his Jewish allies turned against him, forcing him to retreat and allowing the Hasmonean ruler to recover.

Around 88/7 BC, Demetrios briefly seized control of Antioch on the Orontes, where he minted a small issue of tetradrachms. However, he was soon captured by Mithradates Sinakes, the Parthian governor of Mesopotamia, and exiled to Parthia, where he lived in honor until his death at an unrecorded date.