I want to give this its own thread, just came in the mail... Also this is a Barry Murphy coin...very nice folks.. Kings of Baktria Indo Greek Kings. Menander.. 165/155-130 BC.. AR Drachm Ob. helmeted and draped bust right.. Rev. Athena Alkidemos advancing left holding shield and thunderbolt.. Monogram to right. Boppearachch... series 16A.. 17mm x 2.45g..
Very nice... Here is Apollodotos (circa 60-80 BC) with Athena chucking a thunderbolt on the reverse....
Nice coins John and Ripley. I haven't ventured into these yet (not sure if I will - still having fun with Roman RR, Imperial and Greek).:thumb:
A Late AR Tetradrachm Hermaios 80-75 BC - Afghanistan - Kabul Mint. AR Tetradrachm 26.8 mm, (9.44g) Obv: Diademed Bust of Hermaios Greek Legend- EPMAIOY BASILWS SWTHPOS (King Hermaios the Savior) Rev: Zeus Enthroned with Scepter with arm outstretched; monogram right; Kharoshti legend- I believe the reverse legend reads the same or similar to the obverse. Appealing to the non-Greek speaking populous of the Hindu Kush. Hermaios is considered the last King of the Unified Greek Kingdom. Dating the coins of this ruler is especially difficult. The historical record states that during the reign of Hermaios the Greeks lost control of the the abundantly producing silver mines of Afghanistan to the Bactrian Nomads whom would later be known as the Kushans. They themselves would issue a vast series of coinage all over central Asian and India, till about the 7th century AD. The coins attributed to Hermaios reign has been debated and is far from agreed upon. This particular specimen is attributed to Bopearachchi Series 10F. An early posthumous issue. Although in the paper by K. Walton Dobbins tackles this very subject. Since these coins were first discovered it was thought that life time coins bore the head of the king and queen on the obverse and the king on horseback on the reverse. Then a criteria for determining Nomadic Kushan imitations from the genuine issues was the genuine coins were round, made of fine silver and stuck in fine style with round omicrons but since the 1970's when this was written I am sure things have changed. As an added bonus to this coin- it was these series of coins which gave James Prinsep (1799-1840) the "Rosetta Stone" to finally decipher the Reverse Indic Script. The words of the ancient became readable once again, and gave us the closest connection to the true thought and logic of the BUDDHA, as the language was structurally similar that used during the lifetime of the Buddha.
Hi DVC ... man, I always love seeing your coins (I hope everything is good in your world ... things are pretty good in my world) Cheers brother!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hnhvWKMqm4
Kurt, the details on your coin is so much better than mine, awesome, and Steve how's it up in Manitoba, still below freezing...
Hey Steve! Doing well...spring is almost here! :thumb: That video clip has become my handle. :too-funny:
ahahaha ... yes, it certainly has become your handle (it's an awesome handle by the way) ... everybody thinks of you as Robert Deniro (there are certainly worse handles!!) I have my eyes on "7" new coins ... I hope to show them off within the week ... Oh and again DVC => I appreciate your early-ancient training and advice => "priceless" :thirst:
Eng => today was "relatively" gorgeous => -5 celcius => I took the hounds for an hour+ walk along the frozen river (just a week ago, it was minus 40 celcius, so you can imagine how great it felt today) => Manitoba T-shirt weather!!
Yep Bing, I know. I was hesatant to post it. I guess I will take a better photo of it today in natural light. I could use some help on ID.
I can't help. I've never collected in this area. I'm glad you posted it. Not all posted coins have to be pristine. I like looking at them all. Plus, your coin has a story behind it whereas coins with little wear have shorter stories. Keep posting regardless of condition. You ought to see some of mine.
If you can post some clearer pics I would love to have at it! Based on the pic here, I would guess that the coin is a posthumous debased drachm of Hermaios, same reverse motif as my Tetradrachm. The coin is most likely an early Kushan Imitative. Anyway you have it- its still cool.
