I picked this Daric up and finally got it in the mail today. Its difficult to find these with most of the detail on the flan, well struck and that don't have die shift. I had been looking for one for awhile and after I lost all my lots at Nomos and NAC, this was my fall back after seeing it in March listed for sale. I specifically wanted one of the earlier Darics from the time of Darius I. This is probably one of the better ones I've seen of the earlier types, even though it isn't perfect. I don't really care about the slab, but I'll probably leave it there for posterity so its easier for my wife to sell if I ever get hit by a train or something. Feel free to post your Darics!
Congrats, @kazuma78 . Well done! Mine: PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. Darios I to Xerxes II. Circa 485-420 BCE AV Daric (14mm, 8.30 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Sardes mint. Persian king or hero, wearing kidaris and kandys, quiver over shoulder, in kneeling-running stance right, holding spear in right hand, bow in left / Incuse punch. Carradice Type IIIb, Group A/B (pl. XIII, 27); Meadows, Administration 321; BMC Arabia pl. XXIV, 26 Ex: CNG
congrats ! very nice coin ! well centered with fine details but i'm afraid it's not one of the earlier Darics from the time of Darius I What is the reference given by the auction house ? according to the arrangement of Carradice, your coin is a type IIIb group C (c.420-375 BC) Your coin is a matching reverse die of Carradice 42 "which can safely be termed fourth-century" (page 87) According to Hill and Babelon, these darics (Hill group E i.e. BMC 58-60) were struck under Artaxerxes II EDIT : Cool your coin is a matching dies of BMC 58 plate XXV 12
I should have been more clear in my initial post, I've seen this type labeled as Darius I- Artaxerxes II but didn't attribute it yet so I was being lazy and just labeled it as Darius, which isn't correct. Thanks for doing that for me!
Congratulations, it's a superb coin! I wish it weren't in a slab to be able to take a better photograph of it but I suspect it's quite lustrous and attractive in person.
It's very attractive in person, the slab is bloated like NGC slabs can get, so I may crack it out yet. The original lustrous surfaces are pretty cool in hand. It will be a very difficult coin to photograph because of it.
