Triton XXVI - Session 2
Date: 2023-01-10 00:00:00
Lots: 338
Total starting: $ 0.00
Total realized: $ 0.00 (+0.00%)
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Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 482
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides I Megas. Circa 170-145 BC. AR Drachm (19.5mm, 4.25 g, 12h). Helmeted, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛOY around, EYKPATIΔOY in exergue, the Dioskouroi, holding palm fronds and spears, on horses rearing right; monogram to lower right. Bopearachchi 7I var. (monogram to left); Bopearachchi & Rahman 249 var. (same); SNG ANS 479-82; MIG Type 178c (no distinction of monogram placement); HGC 12, 136. Light deposits, scuff on obverse, minor scratches on reverse, traces of underlying luster. EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 483
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides I Megas. Circa 170-145 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33mm, 16.96 g, 12h). Diademed and helmeted heroic bust left, seen from behind, brandishing spear in right hand / BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛOY around, EYKPATIΔOY in exergue, the Dioskouroi, holding palm fronds and spears, on horses rearing right; monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 8B; Bopearachchi & Rahman 255; SNG ANS 485; MIG Type 179a; HGC 12, 132. Traces of deposits, some porosity. Near EF. From the JTB Collection. Ex Peter Corcoran Collection; Menlo Park Collection (Triton XXII, 8 January 2019), lot 468, purchased from Frank L. Kovacs, circa 1998-2002.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 484
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides I Megas. Circa 170-145 BC. AR Tetradrachm (32.25mm, 16.54 g, 12h). Dynastic pedigree issue. BAΣIΛEYΣ MEΓAΣ around, EYKPATIΔHΣ in exergue, bust of Eukratides right, wearing helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear; all within bead-and-reel border / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ above, KAI ΛAOΔIKHΣ in exergue, conjoined draped busts of Heliokles and Laodike, wearing tainia, right; monogram to left; all within bead-and-reel border. Bopearachchi 13A; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 182b; HGC 12, 133. Iridescent toning, light marks, trace of porosity. Near EF. Struck on a broad flan. From the North River Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 75 (23 May 2007), lot 645; Classical Numismatic Group 73 (13 September 2006), lot 536.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 485
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Demetrios II. Circa 150-145 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33mm, 17.01 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, ΔHMHTPIOY to left, Athena standing facing, wearing triple crested helmet, holding spear and shield set on ground; monogram below spear. Bopearachchi 1E; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS 393-4; MIG Type 101f; HGC 12, 126. Iridescent toning. EF. A beautiful example. The reign of Demetrios II in Greco-Baktria and India, as well as his lineage, presents a puzzle, since the timelines of several other rulers, as many as three named Demetrios, seem to intersect and overlap during the mid to late second century BC. It is accepted that Demetrios I, the son of Euthydemos I, reigned circa 220-180 BC and added northern India to his realm by conquest. His portraits do not resemble the Demetrios depicted on this coin, however, nor do the reverse types match up -- the Euthydemid rulers chose Herakles as their reverse type, while this Demetrios uses a standing figure of Athena. Mitchiner and Bopearachchi believed this Demetrios must be the "Demetrius, king of the Indians" mentioned by the Roman historian Justin, whose brief summary of Greco-Baktrian history written in the second century AD are the only near-contemporary record we have of these realms. Justin writes that "Eucratides led many wars with great courage, and, while weakened by them, was put under siege by Demetrius, king of the Indians. He made numerous sorties, and managed to vanquish 60,000 enemies with 300 soldiers, and thus liberated after four months, he put India under his rule" (Epitome XLI, 6). Bopearachichi theorizes that this came at the outset of Eukratides' reign and, indeed, cemented his power in Baktria; thus Demetrios II's reign must terminate circa 171 BC, when Eukratides I's rule commenced. Justin's account, however, is ambiguous as to its timing. In fact the Attic-weight coinage of Demetrios II is of a different style and fabric than that of the Baktrian rulers Demetrios I, Euthydemos II, Agathokles, and Antimachos I, whose reigns precede and overlap that of Eukratides. It more closely resembles the coins of Eukratides' successors, Platon, Eukratides II, and Heliokles I. That would place it toward the end of Eukratides I's reign, rather than the beginning. If this Demetrios is the one mentioned by Justin, the four-month siege and battle must come toward the end of Eukratides I's reign, circa 150-145 BC, where we have provisionally placed it.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 486
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides II Soter. Circa 145-140 BC. AR Tetradrachm (21.5mm, 16.90 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, EYKPATIΔOY to left, Apollo standing left, holding arrow and bow set on ground; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 1F; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 164n; HGC 12, 161. Iridescent toning. EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 487
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides II Soter. Circa 145-140 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33mm, 16.99 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEYΩΣ to right, EYKPATIΔOY to left, Apollo, holding arrow, standing left and leaning on bow set on ground; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 1H; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 177g; HGC 12, 131. A hint of deposits, some metal flaws. EF. Very rare in high grade.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 488
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides II Soter. Circa 145-140 BC. AR Tetradrachm (21.5mm, 16.90 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, EYKPATIΔOY to left, Apollo standing left, holding arrow and bow set on ground; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 1M; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 164h; HGC 12, 161. Light iridescence, traces of deposits. EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 489
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides II Soter. Circa 145-140 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.85 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, EYKPATIΔOY to left, Apollo standing left, holding arrow and bow set on ground; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi –, but cf. 1U ([Heliokles I] for monogram); Bopearachchi & Rahman –; Qunduz –; SNG ANS –, but cf. 642-5 (same); MIG Type 164 (monogram unlisted); HGC 12, 161; Zeno –. Iridescent toning, minor marks, traces of underlying luster. Near EF. None in CoinArchives.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 490
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Plato Epiphanes. Circa 145-140 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.68 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ EΠIΦANOYΣ ΠΛAΤΩNOΣ, Helios standing facing in quadriga; monogram to inner left. Cf. Bopearachchi 1A; Bopearachchi & Rahman 288; Qunduz 388; SNG ANS 628; MIG Type 198a (second example illustrated); HGC 12, 165; Triton II, lot 612 (same obv. die). Traces of iridescence, hint of deposits, light cleaning marks, slight weakness on reverse. EF. High relief portrait. Very rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 491
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Plato Epiphanes. Circa 145-140 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33mm, 16.84 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right, wearing helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear / BAΣIΛEΩΣ EΠIΦANOYΣ ΠΛAΤΩNOΣ, Helios standing facing in quadriga; monogram to upper right, MZ in exergue. Bopearachchi 3A; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; Qunduz 378 (same dies); SNG ANS 631 (same obv. die); Mitchiner Type 197a; Zeno 299655 (this coin); HGC 12, 167. Some find patina, hint of deposits, marks, slightly double struck on reverse. EF. Very rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 492
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Heliokles Dikaios. Circa 145-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33.5mm, 16.58 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, HΛIOKΛEOYΣ to left, ΔIKAIOY in exergue , Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt and scepter; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 1U; Bopearachchi & Rahman 292; SNG ANS 642-8; MIG Type 284o; HGC 12, 169. Light iridescence, traces of deposits, areas of porosity and corrosion on reverse, hairline die breaks on obverse. EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 493
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Heliokles Dikaios. Circa 145-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.84 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, HΛIOKΛEOYΣ to left, ΔIKAIOY in exergue , Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt and scepter; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 1U; Bopearachchi & Rahman 292; SNG ANS 642-8; MIG Type 284o; HGC 12, 169. Slight double strike, minor edge lamination. EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 494
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Heliokles Dikaios. Circa 145-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.75 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, HΛIOKΛEOYΣ to left, ΔIKAIOY in exergue , Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt and scepter; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 1U; Bopearachchi & Rahman 292; SNG ANS 642-8; MIG Type 284o; HGC 12, 169. Light iridescence, obverse struck with slightly worn die. Near EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 495
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Heliokles I Dikaios. Circa 145-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 14.59 g, 12h). Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, wearing crested helmet covered with pelt of scales and adorned with head of Gorgon and wing; all within bead-and-reel border / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, HΛIOKΛEOYΣ to left, ΔIKAIOY in exergue , Zeus Nikepohoros enthroned left; M to inner left. Bopearachchi 3A; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 286a; HGC 12, 170. Traces of deposits, some metal flaws, light smoothing and tooling in fields. Near EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 496
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Heliokles I Dikaios. Circa 145-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 11.39 g, 12h). Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, wearing crested helmet covered with pelt of scales and adorned with head of Gorgon and wing; all within bead-and-reel border / BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, HΛIOKΛEOYΣ to left, ΔIKAIOY in exergue , Zeus Nikepohoros enthroned left; M to inner left. Bopearachchi 3A; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 286a; HGC 12, 170. Iridescent toning, deposits, light porosity, a couple of short scratches and slight doubling on reverse, test cut on edge. Good VF. Ex Melinda Collection.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 497
BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Zoilos I Dikaios. Circa 150-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33mm, 16.93 g, 12h). Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / ∫Å%5¬EW% d5˚Å5oU around, zo52oU in exergue, Herakles standing facing, holding wreath and club; I to inner left. Bopearachchi 1A = HGC 12, 216 (same rev. die as illustration); Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS 966 (same dies, but later die state); MIG –. In NGC encapsulation 6157848-001, graded Ch AU ★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Fine Style. Exceptional portrait in high relief. Extremely rare, one of three known specimens. Although virtually nothing is now known about the reign of Zoilos I Dikaios ("The Just"), the scant evidence from coinage argues for his importance as a ruler in the Indo-Greek realms and possibly Baktria. We know two of his Indic-weight coins, a drachm and a tetradrachm, were overstruck by types of Menander, indicating he reigned concurrently with, and perhaps in opposition to, that great Indo-Greek king in Arachosia, the Paropamisadai, and Ghandara (see CNG 37, 20 March1996, lot 825 and R.C. Senior. "Menander versus Zoilos - another overstrike," ONS Newsletter No. 150 [Autumn 1996], p. 12, ill. 2). His exceptionally rare tetradrachms on the heavier Attic weight standard (three known specimens, of which this is unquestionably the finest) suggest he may have held power briefly in parts of Baktria, perhaps during the chaotic collapse of Eukratides I's regime. On both his Indic and Attic-weight coins, he uses the standing figure of Herakles as a reverse, evoking the types employed by Demetrios I Aniketos, the first king to extend Greek rule into India, and his successor Euthydemos II. Whether this implies a distant dynastic connection cannot be known. Wherever he fits into the sequence of rulers, the style of portraiture and quality of engraving on the coinage of Zoilos are extraordinary and among the best of the entire Baktrian series, as can be readily seen on this medallic Attic-weight tetradrachm.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 498
BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Theophilos Autokrator. Circa 130-129 BC. AR Tetradrachm (35mm, 17.04 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ AYTOKPATOPOΣ around, [Θ]EOΦΙΛ[OY] in exergue, Athena Nikephoros seated left on cuirass and shield, holding spear; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 1A = Qunduz 615 (same dies); Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 371a (second example illustrated; same obv. die); HGC 12, 165. In NGC encapsulation 6157848-002, graded Ch AU, Strike: 3/5, Surface: 4/5, flan flaws. One of five known, only the Gorny and Spink coins in CoinArchives. The five examples of this issue are known with only the ù and f monograms, and were struck from one obverse die and a total of three reverse dies: ù monogram: A/a1 1) Qunduz 615. 2) this coin. A/a2 1) MIG 371a (second example) = Spink 165, lot 157 = Numismatic Fine Arts XXV, lot 243. A/a3 1)Gorny & Mosch 207, lot 460. f monogram: A/b1 1) HGC 12, 223 = MIG 371a (first example) = BM Inv. 1965,0410.1. Except for a few extremely rare coins, Theophilos Autokrator is unknown to history. The name Theophilos, meaning "beloved of god," occurs infrequently in the pre-Christian Greek world, most famously as a correspondent of the evangelist Luke. Among Hellenistic rulers, the only coins to bear the name are found in the Baktrian and Indo-Greek realms. The unresolved question remains, was there just one King Theophilos, or were there two? The surviving silver coins are on two weight standards, the larger and heavier Attic standard with Greek legends (the present example), and the bilingual Indo-Greek standard (see Triton XXV, lot 567). The Attic coins depict a lean, sharp-nosed man with the name and titles King Theophilos Autokrator ("the Self-Empowered"), while the Indo-Greek issues depict a man with a somewhat more rounded nose and the epithet Dikaios ("the Just"). The reverses are also distinctly different: The Attic type depicts a seated Athena Nikephoros, while the Indic examples show a standing Herakles with club and lion skin. Experts differ as to whether one or two rulers are depicted. Osmund Bopearachchi contends the Theophilos Autokrator and Dikaios are one in the same, citing as evidence what he calls the similarity in portraits and the identical treatment of their diadem ties, with one straight and the other crooked. Jens Jakobsson, in Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society 202 (2010), contends they are separate; that Dikaios' use of Herakles as a reverse type links him with the Euthydemid Dynasty and to his near-contemporary, Zoilos (see lot 498), while Autokrator's use of Athena links him more closely to the line of the great Indo-Greek ruler Menander. He also points out the dissimilar aspects of the portraiture and the stylistic resemblance of Theophilos Autokrator to the last Greek kings of Baktria proper, Eukratides II, Platon and Heliokles I. As for dating, the epithet Autokrator was also employed by the Seleukid usurper Diodotos Tryphon (ruled 139-138 BC), and "apparently refers to an assertion of independence." Jakobsson further proposes that Theophilos Autokrator was a "princelet who briefly rose against the new rulers of Bactria (Sakas or Yuezhi, or even the Parthaians) after the Greek kingdom had ceased to exist" in the late 130s or 120s BC, and thus was the last Greek king of Baktria proper. Another possibility is that the same Theophilos ruled in Baktria and Pakistan / northern India at different times, perhaps years or decades apart, employing different titles and iconography each time.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 499
BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Philoxenos Aniketos. Circa 125-110 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 9.54 g, 12h). BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANIKHTOY ΦIΛOΞENOY, diademed heroic bust left, wearing crested helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear, and brandishing spear in right hand / maharajasa apadihatasa philasinasa in Kharosthi, Philoxenos, in military attire, on horse rearing right on ground line; Σ below, monogram to upper left. Bopearachchi 9C = MIG Type 343c (third example); Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS 1198; HGC 12, 270. Lightly toned, hint of deposits, porosity, cleaning marks. EF. Great metal.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 500
INDO-SKYTHIANS, Northern Satraps. Zeionises. Circa 45/35-5 BC. AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 9.62 g, 11h). Uncertain mint in Chukhsa (Chach). ANIΓOΛOY YIO[...]AMOY ZCIωNIΓOY, king in Parthian attire and holding whip right on horseback; Buddhist triratana ("Three Jewels") to right; ; uncertain Kharosthi letter between horse's leg / Manigulasa chatrapasa putrasa chatrapasa Jihuniasa in Kharosthi, king enthroned facing, being crowned with wreath by Tyche, standing slightly left, holding cornucopia; monogram to left, bu in Kharosthi to right. Zeno 236710 = Triton XXIII, lot 548 (same dies); CNG 118, lot 658 (same dies). Minor find patina in recesses, areas of weak strike at periphery. VF. Ex Triton XXIII (14 January 2020), lot 548.Bob Senior writes: "The coin is a tetradrachm of Zeionises of unpublished type. See Indo-Scythian Coins and History (ISCH) types 130 - 132 for the obverse. This coin has very good Greek legends which indicates that it was struck very early in the reign of Zeionises – the regular coins get cruder the later they are struck, and the Greek becomes garbled.Zeionises was the successor of Azilises, probably around 40/35 BC and the obverse design copied from his coins – see S32 - 37. Zeionises's father is mentioned on the coins – Manigula, and we know from an inscription that he was 'brother of the king' presumably Azilises. Zeionises would therefore be Azilises' nephew. The reverse has the King enthroned with City deity (same deity as on his regular coins) crowning him with a wreath. As such it is unique amongst Indo-Scythian coins."
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 501
INDIA, Kushan Empire. Vima Kadphises. Circa AD 113-127. AV Dinar (21mm, 7.97 g, 12h). Bilingual series. Main mint in Baktria. BACIΛЄYC OOH MO KAΔΦICHC, diademed and crowned half-length bust of Vima Kadphises left on clouds, holding mace-scepter in right hand and hilt of sword in left; flames at shoulder; tamgha to right / Maharajasa rajadirajasa sarvaloga iśvarasa mahiśvarasa vima kaphthiśasa tradara[sa] ("of the great king, king of kings, lord of the world, the great lord, vima kadphises, savior") in Kharosthi, ithyphallic Siva standing facing, head left, holding trident in right hand and water flask in left; left arm draped with animal skin; tamgha to left, Triratana (Three Jewels) to right. Bopearachchi, Premiers Série XV, 41; MK 15/9 (O2/R11); ANS Kushan 266-268; Donum Burns 79 (same obv. die). Traces of deposits. Near EF. Very rare. Ex Triton X (9 January 2007), lot 474.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 2 . 502
INDIA, Kushan Empire. Kanishka I. Circa AD 127-151. AV Dinar (20.5mm, 7.96 g, 12h). Main mint in Baktria (Balkh?). Early phase. ÞAONANOÞAO KA NhÞKI KOÞANO, Kanishka, diademed and crowned, standing facing, head left, holding goad and scepter, sacrificing over altar to left; flame at shoulder / NANA to left, Nana, nimbate, wearing fillet and crescent, standing right, holding scepter and box; tamgha to right. MK 35 (O7/R9); ANS Kushan 370; Donum Burns 117. Lightly toned. Near EF. Ex Sincona 46 (14 May 2018), lot 512.