Antiochos II Theos, tetradrachm, AR, reign 261–246 BC,

Antiochos II Theos, tetradrachm, AR, reign 261–246 BC, Seleucia on the Tigris mint, 261–246 BC, 16.94 g, 30 mm. Obverse: diademed head of Antiochos I right, in realistic Hellenistic style. Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY (“of King Antiochos”), with the standard Seleucid royal type; well-centered legends. Struck on a broad flan with even metal and clear device detail. Reference: HGC 9, 236g. Issued under Antiochos II Theos, this silver tetradrachm reflects the Seleucid continuation of Alexanderic monetary standards and the dynastic practice of employing established royal portrait types to assert legitimacy across a geographically extensive empire. The Seleucia on the Tigris mint, positioned near the imperial administrative center in Mesopotamia, was a major source of high-value silver for state payments and regional commerce during the mid-3rd century BC, a period characterized by sustained interstate rivalry and internal dynastic consolidation.