Picked up a new drachm, only my second Parthian coin. Kings of Parthia, Vologases III (105-147 AD), AR Drachm O: Diademed and bearded bust l., R: King enthroned r., holding bow and arrow at r., monogr, Greek legend. Ecbatana mint. Sellwood 78.5. 20 mm, 3.8 g Thanks to BobL for the attribution! here's my other parthian coin, orodes i...this coin badly needs a reshoot. post your parthians!
Sweet new Parthian addition (I love both of your coins, old and new) ... sadly, I don't have one of these cool archer examples (definitely hovering around on my want-list!!) ... hey, if it was a lion shooting the bow then I'd have one for sure!!
NICE!!! I own no Parthians. There are more than enough Greek and Romans to keep me busy (and a few oddities now and then).
sorry, are you sure the top one Vol III is authentic? the hair looks very strange...not the normal style you see with Parthian coins...
man, I hate when there's a challenge ... obviously, I hope that your new coin proves to be a winna-winna, my friend!!
Wow, chrsmat-- that's a beauty! Compared to other NGC-slabbed Parthians, it's at least a MS** 6/5 6/5 Seriously-- nice coin
Compared to others, the style looks authentic although I'm no Parthian expert. Similar coins from CNG's archives:
I agree that Chris' coin is fine, and is in fact a wonderful example of the type. Shameless plug here: if anyone may be interested in delving a bit into Parthians, here's a short article I wrote a few months back: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Parthian Coins
Glad you enjoyed it, Orfew. I plan to do a similar short article dealing with coins of Elymais at some point...but probably won't get to that 'til next year.
Nice Parthian coins for sure. This is one area that is completely empty in my collection. Maybe one day in the future.
I do not know enough to comment on authenticity but I do not like the style. It is a good thing that I am no longer in the market for V-III since I have seen fakes identified as made from copy dies and am unclear on how to spot them. Mine have been with me for several years and came from trusted dealers but I'm not saying that is any protection anymore. The first is the Shore plate coin for #413 (Parthian Coins & History, 1993 - a book I'm glad I bought new when it was a whole lot cheaper. Reprint needed? http://www.amazon.com/Parthian-Coin...qid=1442180125&sr=8-1&keywords=shore+parthian
My very 1st (and presently the only) Parthian PARTHIA AR Drachm 177-138 BCE Mithradates I Mint: Hecatompylos Obv: Beardless bust wearing bashlyk Rev: Beardless archer wearing cloak, seated on an Omphalos r, holding bow in r hand, Greek leend: BASILEUS MEGALOY ARSAKOY Ref: Sellwood 10.1; from the Eclectic Nathan Miller