258 NGC AU Star Gallienus Egypt Alexandria Tetradrachm Serapis Bust Pedigree (23080202C)
Almost Uncirculated dated Emperor Gallienus Roman Egypt Alexandria billon tetradrachm coin.
10.26g, Emmett 3740/6, rated as R4 (extremely rare).
Minted during Gallienus' 6th (L S) Alexandrian year = 258/9 CE.
Pedigree: Kellner plate coin, 15, 3.
Certified by NGC to AU Star, strike 5/5, surface 4/5. (very high subgrades for this type).
The Star designation indicates that the coin has exceptional eye appeal, usually derived from some impressive aspect(s) of the strike, surface or style.
Obverse: draped and cuirassed bust of Gallienus right.
Reverse: bust of Serapis wearing crown left, date letters L S.
Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian God. The cult of Serapis was created during the third century BC on the orders of Greek Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm. The cultus of Serapis was spread as a matter of deliberate policy by the Ptolemaic kings. Serapis continued to increase in popularity during the Roman Empire, often replacing Osiris as the consort of Isis in temples outside Egypt.
