20151223

JUDEA/Herodian/Agrippa II אגריפס השני CE 49/50-94/95

מטבע של אגריפס המציג את דיוקנו של אספסיאנוס
AE 26 mm, 19.48 g, 12h, Caesarea Panias mint, Yr 29=CE 77/78

Hendin 6322 (2022) listed R
Meshorer 172
RPC II 2288
SNG VI: 285

O: AYTOK[------]ICAPI CEBATΩ (celator error missing “C” between A & T).
Laureate bust of Vespasian r.

R: ETOY KΘ BA/AΓPIΠΠA across fields in two lines. Tyche-Demeter stands l wearing kalathos, holding grain ears in r. hand and cornucopia in l. 

Ex: Patrick H.C. Tan Collection
Ex: CNG 363 portion of lot 550 (11/11/2015)

20151204

France; Coinage of Daniel Dupuis 1849-1899, 10 centimes

An example of the lovely bronze coinage of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century from France designed by the artist Daniel Dupuis (1849-1899).  

1917, 10 centimes, 10g/30mm, NMM, KM #843 (minted from 1898-1921)
mintage in 1917 was 11,914,000

O: Liberty head r
R: allegory of the Republic protecting her child.

                                        
(portrait of Dupuis c. 1881)

20151128

ISLAMIC; Timurid Iran, Shah Rukh 1405-1447


AR Tanka, 4.94 g, 22 mm, 7h, Amol (Mazandaran) mint, ND

O: Shahada

R: Duriba/Amol in central circle surrounded by As-Sultan al-'azim Shah Rukh [----]

Great Britain; Hanover; George IV 1820-1830

AR Six Pence, 2.75 g, 19 mm, 6h. dated: 1825

S. 3814

BULGARIA; Second Empire; Ivan Alexander Иван Александър and Michael Asen Михаил Асен CE 1331-1355; Two Examples

AR Grosch, 1.12 g, 19 mm, 6h.
AR Grosch, 1.65 g, 20 mm, 6 h

Both can be described as follows:

O: figure of Jesus stg facing before seat, arms raised, IC XC and monograms across field.

R: Ivan and Michael stg facing each holding cruciform scepter and holding between them a staff topped with a banner. monograms across the field, stars flanking base of the staff.


CHINA/Tang Dynasty 唐朝 CE 618-907



Kai Yuan; 4 g, 24 mm, middle period c. CE 718-732

H. 14u

old label affixed by original collector with "traditional" Chinese character reading "Tang"

O: KAI/YUAN/TONG/BAO (the inaugural currency)
R: crescent above the hole.

Ex: Stephen Album who advised that this came from the "Chang Collection" that was collected between 1916 and 1930.

20151127

Greece/Seleucid; Cleopatra Thea & Antiochus VIII BCE 125-121

AE 19 mm, 7.61g, Antioch mint, dated SE 191=BCE 122/1

SC 2263.4b

O: Radiate, diademed hd of Antiochus VIII r., one diadem end waving behind the other falling forward over shoulder, dotted border.

R: ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑΣ in two lines on r. ΚΑΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ in three lines on l., owl standing facing on fallen amphora.


Date in ex on left, A۹ Ρ (SE 191), aphlaston in ex on right

Ex: Dan Clark Auction, April 1984 lot 237

20151126

Treasure from Caesarea on display at Israel Museum, article from Coins Weekly


Abu 'Ali al-Mansur al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. (AH 386-411/996-1021 CE), gold dinar minted in Cairo, AH 403/ 1012 CE. Photographed by Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority as depicted from Coins Weekly and utilized for illustrative purposes only under fair use doctrine.

Read about it by clicking this link.

20151116

IRAN/Parthia (Arsakid); Vonones I CE 8-12



AR Drachm 20mm, 3.83g, 12h, Ekbatana mint c. 10-12 CE

Sellwood 60.5
Shore 329

O: diad head left, BACIΛϵYC ONωNHC

R: Nike adv r holding wreath and palm, Ecbatana monogram below. Inscription around the outside in a square BACIΛϵYC/ ONωNHC/NϵIKHCAC/ APTABANON


An interesting propaganda piece for a short lived victory over Artabanus, who was the eventual victor in the struggle with Vonones. Vonones had spent time in Rome as a hostage and seems to have acquired a very Roman boastfulness that didn't serve him well with the Parthian public. For that matter it didn't serve him too well with the Romans either. So much for cross cultural polination two millenia ago. 

20151109

IRAN/Parthia (Arsakid); Orodes II BCE 57-38

AR Drachm 4.06 g, 18 mm, Court at Mithradatkart mint.

Shore----
Sellwood 45.15 (same obverse die as 45.14 but different reverse identified as 45.15)

O: diad bust l, wearing torque with pellet end

R: Arsakes I std r on throne, holding bow, blundered legend to r, mint mark

IRAN ایران /Sasanian شاهنشاهی ساسانی /Bahram IV CE 388-399

AR Drachm, 3.9 g, 22 mm, NM ND

Göbl 136 v

O: bust right wearing winged merlon crown with korymbos, distinct name proceeding from bottom right and around to the left. Appears to be “Bahram malkan mazdisn” or “King Bahram, mazda worshipper”.

R: fire altar with ribbons flanked by two attendants. 

20151027

Greece/Seleucid; Demetrius I Soter BCE 162-150




AE 15 mm, 2.14 g, 12h,  Tyre mint  
SC 1676, SNG Spaer 1337-1342v
O : diad hd of Demetrius r., one diadem end flying up behind, the other falling straight behind, dotted border.

R: ΒΑΣΙΛ[ΕΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY] around, palm tree, off center
Date on either side of palm: 
only portion of Ρ is visible


Controls: none

20151024

IRAN/Tabaristan; Dabuyid Ispahbads; Khorshid CE 740-761 اسپهبد خورشید‎‎


AR Hemidrachm, 24 mm, 2.10 g, 3h, PYE 94=c. CE 745-746 (AH 128) Tabaristan mint

Album 52
Malek 31 variety (this particular obs die is not illustrated)

O: Crowned bust right in Sasanian style similar to Kurush Parviz though with differences in the crown. "May xvarrah increase" in Pahlavi behind bust and "Khorshid" in Pahlavi before. APD or "excellent" in second quarter of margin.
R: fire altar with attendants, Tabaristan on r and "post Yazdigerd era" year 94 on left. 

please cf. H.M. Malek "The Dabuyid Ispahbads of Tabaristan" in AJN 5-6 (1993-1994), pp. 105-160, which includes seven pp of plates illustrating many examples and varieties from these rulers. 


General location of ancient Tabaristan or as it is now called Mazandaran on a current map of Iran

20151005

IRAN ایران /Sasanian شاهنشاهی ساسانی /Kurush II Parviz CE 590/1-628






AR Drachm 31mm, 4.1 g, 9h, YZ (Yazd) mint. Regnal year 28/CE 617-618


Göbl 212 

O: XUSRUI AFZUT  “Khusro, may he increase”

R: on right YZ on left regnal date "Hashtvist"/

"twenty-eight"

the Pahlavi text can be found at the following URL: http://www.beastcoins.com/Sasanian/Sasanian.htm along with additional helpful info for the beginner regarding Sasanian coins 

The above example is as struck by the Sasanian mint authorities, the example below has seen greater circulation and has evidence of having been clipped down to a later standard that appears to be an Islamic Dirham standard. It is also a Drachm of Kurush II Parviz, but is 27 mm in diameter and weighs 2.68 g. The coin appears to date from late in Kurush's reign, perhaps year 37 (?) and possibly the Nihavand mint.


20151003

INDIA/Indo-Sasanian/Chalukyas of Gujarat or Paramaras of Malwa; c. CE 950-1050?


AR anonymous drachm (gadhaiya paisa), 16mm, 4.11 g, 11h.

Deyell 158
Mitchner Non-Islamic 427

O: stylized Sasanian style bust r
R: stylized fire altar, crescent to upper right

20151001

IRAN/Sasanid; Yazdigerd I (یزدگرد) CE 399-420


AR Drachm; 25 mm, 4.02 g, 3h,  AS mint to right of altar flames (Asoristan per Album, but abbreviation AS had also been utilized for Isfahan by the previous ruler).

Göbl 147


Inscription refers to Yazdigerd as “Ramshahr” or “giver of peace” 
cf. a very interesting discussion by Touraj Daryaee in AJN 14 (2002) pp. 89-95 regarding this, entitled “History, Epic and Numismatics: on the title of Yazdgerd I (Ramshahr)”

IRAN/Parthia (Arsakid); Phraates II (فرهاد دوم‎) c. BCE 138-127

AE Chalkous; 15mm, 2.36g, 11h, Ekbatana mint

Sellwood 16.29
Shore 56

O: diad bust left
R: inscription beginning on right vertically BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ/MEΓAΛOY
APΣAKOY/ΘEOΠATOPOΣ on left. Elephant standing right.

Besides being contemporaries, Phraates II and Antiochus VII were combatants, and Phraates II though losing the initial rounds eventually gained the upperhand and Antiochus VII was defeated and killed. He also had a trump card with the captivity of Demetrius II who was released around this time. The defeat of Antiochus VII heralded the death knell for the Seleucid state, which had been in decline for sometime. Less than 70 years later, the Seleucid state was reduced to just another Roman province leaving only Egypt for a short time afterwards as the sole survivor from the successor states of Alexander. Unfortunately for the victor, Phraates II did not survive much longer after his victory succumbing to a battle in the Parthian east versus the Sakas where the Greeks whom he captured in his defeat of Antiochus turned the tables on him. 
                               
Antiochus VII & Phraates II