Catalog
Tetarte - Ptolemy I Soter Alexandreia
| Issuer | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 305 BC - 282 BC |
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| Value | 1 Tetarte = 1 gold Triobol = 1/10 Trichryson = 1/2 gold Drachm = 6 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Greek |
| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΜΥ |
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| Additional information |
Ptolemy I didn't assume the title of king until 305 BC, having governed Egypt as satrap since seizing it following Alexander's death in 323 BC. The shift to kingship triggered a reorganization of the coinage, and small gold fractions like this tetarte — a quarter obol — were part of that retooled monetary apparatus, likely used in transactions too fine for larger denominations within Alexandria's busy commercial economy.
Svoronos 200 remains the foundational reference, though Lorber's more recent corpus has substantially refined attribution for this fractional series.