When in doubt...buy a Parthian!

Sallent you can still very nice coin reasonable, yours very nice..i have a few.

Gotarzes l


Vardanes l


Orodes ll


and can't find the info.

 

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I don't collect Parthian but these sure are nice-looking coins Chrsmat and Doug, especially the Mithradates II. What great detail it has!

 

Mithradates II Sellwood 28.7 Rhagae mint is my best guess. It is based on the decor on the hat which has a more solid line on the inside and two more star rays than 28.3 Ecbatana (below). Rhagae is supposed to have a seahorse on the torque which I can't see but this is very small and might require a sharper coin.

 

Well, it's here!!! Quick picture with my signature Ivory colored background. I could have probably taken a better set of shots, but I haven't got the time and I feel this is good enough.

This is my last coin purchase for the year, unless JA can cast a spell and get me to buy another coin from his auctions.

Not a bad way to end the year!



King Vologases III of Parthia

 

I love that coin for all the right reasons, but I also love it for the die polishing lines on the obverse.

 

So that's what that was. I was kind of wondering myself, but I figured it must just be part of the design.

 

Hey Sallent, was it you that said that you were an engineer? (chem?)

=> your choice is very engineering-esque (right-angles and order) ... I love it

Man, I need to score one of these coin-types (occasionally they get into my cross-hairs, but them something else always derails the kill-shot!!)

great coin (congrats)

 

Sadly not an engineer, I'm an attorney.

 

To me, the interesting part of Parthian is the progression (or regression) of style from the early rather Greek looking coins to the later almost cartoon like coins. These guys were not Romans and did not follow the Roman ways of doing things. Most of their coins used the same types but there sure were a lot of variation on the theme. I maintain that they would be a thousand times more popular if more of the kings had written their name on the coins.

Mithradates I

Orodes I

Phraates III

Phraates IV

Phraatakes

Mithradates IV

Vologases IV

Osroes II

Vologases VI


Anyone else here interested in the bronzes? I have a few but the number of people into them is smaller. I also did not mention the tetradrachms which seem more Greek than Parthian probably because they were made for use in the far West.

Vologases IV tetradrachm


I' trying to start a run on Parthians in the after Christmas sales. Did it work?

 

Looks like I'm going to have to go venture out and find some Parthians! Love the look of them. Darn it, my shopping list keeps getting longer and longer. I'm still a collector of early U.S. coinage but it appears that ancients may be taking a larger than expected chunk out of my collectables budget! That fantastic Seated Dollar at the local coin shop might have to wait and those pieces of currency that I've been ogling for a couple of months might be off the list!