Ptolemy IX Soter II or Ptolemy X Alexander I - 30.89 g AE 35 - 80 Units - Temporary ID

Ptolemaic Egypt produced some of the largest bronze coins ever struck in antiquity. These massive issues were a distinctive feature of the Ptolemaic monetary system, where large bronze denominations served as practical, high-value currency within Egypt's relatively closed monetary economy. Their substantial size and weight allowed them to function as important units of value within the kingdom's internal monetary system.

This large bronze is tentatively attributed to Alexandria circa 113–81 BC, during a period in which the throne passed between Ptolemy IX Soter II and Ptolemy X Alexander I amid disputed succession and periods of shared and competing rule. The obverse depicts the diademed head of Zeus-Ammon facing right and wearing a taenia, linking Ptolemaic kingship with the divine authority of the syncretic Greek-Egyptian deity. The reverse shows two eagles standing left on a thunderbolt, heads left and wings closed, and notably lacks the usual field or between-the-legs symbol on this tentative unmarked variant. The inscription ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ("of King Ptolemy") identifies the issuing authority. The long production period and shared type make a definitive attribution between the two rulers uncertain, and the lack of control symbols makes the identification of this example specifically tentative. It is compared with Svoronos 1424b (unmarked variant) and SNG Copenhagen 315.

Obverse: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing taenia

Reverse: Two eagles standing left on thunderbolt, heads left, wings closed; no symbol in field or between legs; ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ("of King Ptolemy")

Catalogues: Cf. Svoronos 1424b (unmarked variant); Cf. SNG Copenhagen 315

Mint Info: Alexandria, circa 113–81 BC (tentative)

Mass: 30.89 g

Diameter: 34.9 mm