One of those moments that you are sorry you bid too low on a coin. This one was very special with its beautiful portrait of Oado, the god of the Winds blowing. A large Kushan bronze (28 mm, 17 gr.) issued by king Kanishka, middle 3rd century AD. And what a large face that king has. Such a powerful coin! The new owner will be happy.
No, I was underbidder. I'm very good at underbidding, alas. And yes, Pellinore is the name of an absent-minded king in T.H. White's Arthur books, always searching for the Questing Beast (a monster, otherwise harmless, that from its belly made a sound of thirty barking dogs).
Kushan bronzes of Kanishka are extremely common but nice ones most certainly are not. This was a nice one. They come in a variety of gods both common and rare. I am surprised more people do not chase them. Kanishka, Nanaia Helios Mao I hesitate to mention that these come in gold, too, and they can be really good looking choice for those with the resources. Anyone have one?
But never mind. I predict that someday you will find a nicer one for less money. If I see one I will pm you!
I do have Oado - not as good as the original post - These are nearly impossible to find in good condition. Oado is certainly a must have coin IMHO. As far as the gold dinars. I have only one, I was very fortunate to capture. Kushan Empire Mint A or B(?) Vasu Deva I (r. AD 189-225) AV Dinar (s. AD 200-225) 20 mm x 8.02 grams Obverse: Crowned and armored, diademed king with long hair, standing facing, nimbate, holding trident and sacrificing at altar at left,second trident above fire altar, Bactrian legend around: þAONANOþAO BA .. ZOΔηO KOþN (King of Kings Bazodeo Kushan) Reverse: Two-armed Shiva standing facing, holding trident and diadem, Bull Nandi left behind, Bactrian legend left: OηþO, tamgha at right Ref: Gobl #528
Thats a golden beauty ancientnoob , like it very much. Here's my average MAO moongod of Kanishka the great:
That Oado is nice. I have often wanted one myself. I wonder what the buyer will think when he stumbles on this thread many years from now. I have no Kanishka but I do have a few Kushan coins. There is one Kushan coin that doesn't look like the others. I am fortunate to have one in my collection. It is the Kushan portrait that looks Roman in style. Kushan Empire. Kujula Kadphises. Circa AD 30/50-80. AE (17mm, 3.4 gm, dichalkon?). Obv: KOZOΛA KAΔAΦEC XOPANOV ZAOOV; Laureate Julio-Claudian style head right Rev: Khushanasa Yauasa Kuyula Kaphasa Sacha Dhramatidasa in Kharoshti; Kujula Kadphises seated right, raising hand; tripartite symbol to left. Senior B9.1. Said to be “Purchased Taxila Aug '63” and from the Robert Cook collection.
Great coin! I can think of a few bosses who could have modeled for the coin (assuming he is blowing hot air). I did not find a Roman coin with a wind god. I did see a few Greek ones. This one is nice but out of my price range. Looks like Kushan is the way to go for wind god coins. The small running figure most likely represents a daimon, a divinity of a lower order, who serves as a messenger of the gods. It may be, given his occasionally winged feet, that this daimon should be seen to be a wind god such as Zephyros.
"Wind god?" "from its belly made a sound of thirty barking dogs"? Were she of a more lierary bent, or reading this, ladymarcovan would start calling me "Oado", or "the Questing beast". Fortunately ladymarcovan 1) is a tolerant soul - mostly - and 2) reads mostly romance novels. (I'm sure the hunky cowboys in those romance novels are nothing like the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles. She gets enough of that in real life.) Srsly, tho'- very cool coin - and history. Oado I had not heard of. Great name!
You didn't get it? AAAAAAAAAgh! One of these if SO on my list, how awesome is that wind dude? I do have a Nana! Kanishaka I, Kushan Empre, 128-150 AD o: king, bactrian legend. r: nana, 18 mm, 4.2 g,
Kushan coins can have amazing detail for a very affordable price. I will look forward to acquiring one this month after seing the varieties on Vcoins. Great looking coin, also important historic depiction of an ancient religion.
Am I correct in believing that NGC Ancients will not grade Kushan coins? Let me rephrase that, since I realize most of you here couldn't care less about whether NGC grades them or not, and would only care about how difficult the plastic was to crack. LOL A member on Collectors Universe was fortunate enough to buy a number of ancient and early modern gold coins (at or near scrap values, as I recall!) and posted them for ID in the World & Ancient Coins forum. (This would've been sometime in the last three years, but I can't find the thread now.) There were some Axumite gold pieces, and Kushan, too, if I remember correctly. Plus a Netherlands ducat from the late 16th or 17th century. I thought it was a really amazing find. He was encouraged to get the coins certified and encapsulated for authentication purposes (or at least as some verification, since NGC Ancients does not offer an ironclad guarantee of authenticity, only an opinion). But apparently they don't encapsulate coins from Axum/Aksum at all, and I believe the same was true for Kushan coins. I suppose the nonclassical ancient civilizations are just a bit too exotic for American TPG services at this time. Just a random observation. I realize it is likely irrelevant to most if not all of you who collect this sort of material.
