SELEUKID KINGS. Tryphon, about 142-138 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 32 mm, 16.64 g, 12 h), Antioch on the Orontes. Diademed head of Tryphon to right. Rev. BAṭIΛEΩγ / TPYΦΩNOγ - AYTOKPATOPOγ Spiked Macedonian (or Cretan?) helmet with cheek guards to left, idolned with wild goat's horn above visor; in inner left field, monogram of DA; below helmet, ΔH; all within oak weather. CSE 256 var. (without monogram below helmets). Seyrig p. 3, 16-17 and p. 22, 6. SC 2031.3c. SMA 264 var. (monogram of DA placed below helmet and no ΔH). Rare and exceptional well preserved, with a magnificent portrait of the infamous usurper and a wonderful reverse. A few light scratches on the obverse and with minor scrapes and the rust on the reverse, otherwise, extremely fine. From the Basileiai Hellēnikai Collection of Exceptional Tetradrachms, Leu 17, 31 May 2025, 318, ex Schweizerischer Bankverein 38, 12-14 September 1995, 235. Tryphon was a former strategyos of Demetrios I and Alexander I Balas who appointed the two-year-old Antiochos VI as king in 144 BC, acting as his tutor and protector. During this guardianship, the Jews, under Simon Thassi, successfully seceded from the Seleucid state after Tryphon captured and killed Simon's brother Jonathan Apphus in 143 BC. Tryphon later assumed the kingship for himself upon the death of Antiochos VI in 142/1 BC but was ultimately dismissed and killed by Antiochus VII in 138 BC. Tryphon's main base and mint was Antioch, though he struck coins in other cities, most notably Byblos, Askalon, and Ake-Ptolemais. His issues from Coele-Syria and Phoenicia are especially noteworthy for replacing the Seleucid Era with his personal regnal years - a deliberate break from Seleukid tradition. This innovation placed his coinage more in line with that of the Ptolemies, whose weight standard and reverse types had already influenced Seleucid coinage in these regions. Beyond the date system, Tryphon's reign also introduced a new visual language. The distinctive reverse type featuring a helmet, minded both with and without a surrounding oak wreath, branded a clear department from traditional Seleukid designs, which commonly featured Apollo (seated or standing) or Tyche. The helmet, first appeared on a drachm of Antiochos VI in 143/2 BC marked with 'TPY' between the spike and horn, became the main coin type under Tryphon's own kingship. While often identified as a Macedonian helmet, K. Ehling has suggested it may actually be a Cretan helmet, possibly referencing the significant presence of Cretan mercenaries in Syria, who had arrived with Demetrios II in 147 BC. These numismatic and titulary changes underscore the fundamental reality of Tryphon's rule: as a usurper without dynamic ties to the Seleukid house, he had no claim to legitimize dynamic success following the death of his protégé, Antiochos VI. Thus, he crafted a new model of sovereignty, distinguishing himself through unique imagery, the adoption of the title AYTOKPATOPOṭ, and the use of personal regnal years rather than the Seleukid Era. These radical departments from tradition highlight Tryphon suchs conscious break with seleukid norms, further reinforcing his status as an outsider to the dynamic. This lot can be shipped to a US address.