REVERSE OF EGYPTIAN TETRADRACHM, B.C. 39-38
Minor Devices
Minor Devices
"PTOLEMY THE KING" inscription refers to Ptolemy Soter (depicted on the obverse), one of Alexander's generals, and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Cleopatra (VII) was the last of this dynasty, which ruled in Egypt from B.C. 323 to 30.
REGNAL YEAR 14 [L(in the year): I-Delta]
Actual dates appear infrequently on ancient coins. Fortunately, rulers in the Ptolemaic line often included regnal years in the fields of their tetradrachms. Quite apart from the historical muddle faced by attributors (who must determine to whom the coin belongs, as well as the particular dating system in use) the potential for finding a precise date exists. This tetradrachm happens to be easy to attribute. The palm branch and headdress of Isis indicate the coin was struck after B.C. 55. The only ruler to whom a 14th regnal year after B.C. 55 corresponds is Cleopatra (VII). This can be compared with historical records to produce the equivalent B.C. 39-38.
PAPHOS MINTMARK (in reference to Alexandria). In an interesting departure from reality, the PA mintmark seems to have become inseparable from the design of later ptolemaic tetradrachms, and thus appears on issues attributed to the Alexandria mint. Note the crudeness of the alpha, with the connecting bar of the two legs missing. This trait, [noted by O. Morkhølm; Ptolemaic Coins and Chronology: The Dated Silver Coinage of Alexandria ] hints at a general decline in coin artistry and attention to detail late in Cleopatra's reign.
PALM BRANCH 
HEADDRESS OF ISIS
The palm branch and headdress of Isis had been in use since B.C. 55, under the rule of Ptolemy XII Auletes (Cleopatra's father). Due to his corruption and incompetence, this king had been deposed by the mob in B.C. 58. With assistance from Aulus Gabinius (proconsul of Syria), he was restored in B.C. 55. By this time his debts were enormous. Auletes appointed one of his creditors, a banker named Rabirius Postumus, to the post of finance minister (dioiketes). This man revitalized the design of the tetradrachm, which included the addition of the palm branch and the headdress of Isis.
[Source: Kirk and Bentley; Ptolemaic Coins. An Introduction for Collectors]
Was there perhaps a political motive behind the addition of these two distinctly Egyptian motifs?
