FFIVN and I went to a small show in Annapolis, MD today and it was less than stellar. There were fewer dealers than normal and for what we were looking for, there wasn't much. We only spent about 30 minutes there but had a good time and managed to pick up one new ancient and also 3 world coins for $2 lol. The coins that the sole ancient dealer had were either not that interesting to us or were out of our meager price range. He did have one that was of interest to us, though we don't know much about the region or history. Looks like we have some stuff to learn! Since I doubt you care too much about 2 King George V 6p and a 1956 Mexico 50 Centavos, here is the newest for our ancient collection: (I believe I have attributed this correctly) Bactria, Hermaeus AR Drachm Obverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHΡOΣ EΡMAIOY, diademed, draped bust right Reverse: Zeus enthroned left, monogram to left If I didn't attribute it correctly, please let me know. Let's see some of your Bactrian coins!
The same guy, but on a tetradrachm, allowing the legends to be read a bit better. On the Zeus side essentially the same text, but in Kharosti script (which reads from right to left): "Maharajasa tratarasa Heramayasa".
Sounds like a good bargain, anyway, and it introduced you to an new area of collecting. You can learn more about these coins at coinindia. Hermaios and Calliope, 90-70 BC. Indo-Greek AR drachm, 16.2 mm, 1.80 gm. Obv: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΕΡΜΑΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΛΛΙΟΠΗΣ, jugate busts, right. Rev: Kharoshthi legend: maharajasa tratarasa heramayasa / kaliyapaya, king on prancing horse, right; monogram below. Refs: BMC India p. 66, 1-2; Sear 7739; Forrer 53; SNG ANS 1319-25; MIG (Mitchiner) 408b; Bopearachchi 2B.
The coin itself was $35. After looking around on vcoins, I think the price was fair. It was worth the cost for the education at leaset
Nice find! The Bactrian issues show the influence of Greek culture on Eastern civilizations, dating back to the campaigns of Alexander III. Here is a drachm of Apollodotus, 1st century BC, also bilingual with Greek and Kharosti legends... The Greek on Bactrian issues is, however, a bit quirky, and the spellings and abbreviations sometimes vary from coin to coin. So don't be surprised if things look off compared to your Hellenistic coins. Here's an analysis I posted in another thread some time ago... 1. BAΣIΛEΩΣ is spelled BAΣIΛIΩΣΣ, with an I as the 6th letter and two sigmas. 2. MEΓAΛOY is abbreviated as MHΓO. Omegas are spelled as dots, a convention borrowed from Seleucid coinage. E and H are interchangeable. 3. ΣΩTEPOΣ is abbreviated as ΣPO. 4. The K of KAI is missing. 5. ΦIΛOΠATOPOΣ is completely spelled out in proper Greek. 6. AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY is completely spelled out, but retrograde to the rest of the inscription (in blue from 8 to 5 o'clock). Also, these coins are good examples of why abugidas like Kharosti are much better suited for legends on small coins than alphabets like Greek. Notice how the Greek letters need to be crammed into the coin like sardines, while the Kharosti fits comfortably - and they both say the same thing.
..kool FF & FF2..Indo-Greek area....i believe these are called 'imitations'of the original...legit money at the time minted around 40 BC..
So the one we got is an "imitation"? Or is it from originally 90-70BC? How can you tell the difference?
Cool coin. For some reason I am reminded of the Man Who Would Be King, the Sean Connery Michael Caine flick based on Rudyard Kipling where two British soldiers end up in an old-world version of Afghanistan where folks are waiting for the return of Alexander. Bactria, I guess, Though your coin would be more easterly than this I suppose.
I only have a few Baktrians... Baktria Apollodotos I 180-160 BCE Square AR Drachm 20mm 2.4g Elephant Zebu SNG ANS 324-327 Indo-Greek Baktria Menander I Soter BC 155-130 AR Tet 26mm 9.6g Diad - Athena Alkidemos tbolt Gorgon shield SNG ANS 764-767 Sogdiana - Hyrcodes 3rd-4thCE AR Scyphate Obol or Reduced Drachm 12mm 0.56g Bukhara mint Male-Deity BMC Baktria p118 Baktria Greco-Baktrian Kingdom Eukratides I Megas 170-145 BCE Dioscuri AE Quadruple Unit
I see. So the Σ after BAΣIΛEΩΣ is followed by ΩTEPOΣ. What I thought was an M is actually an omega followed by tau. Well, it goes to my point that cramming so many Greek letters in such a small space makes for tough reading!
..well, according to what i've been told and read, by 'imitation' i mean, these coins like mine, were minted around 40 BC..but hey, give or take 30 or 40 years, what is it in the scheme of things.. and there's nothing set in concrete..it's i guess according to who you ask..you can read up on it and let me know.
I will read into it. The dealer had 70-90BC written on the sleeve. But his ID's have been incorrect or partially correct in the past. I'd just like to have the post accurate information possible
This is not one I see often and probably most people would not want to. It is attributed th Kujula Kadphises c.15 AD and copies a coin of Hermaios. Mitchiner (page 389) lists several variations of this overstruck on earlier coins. This is a mess but has a decent portrait of Hermaios "for these" and was really cheap in a 2006 FSR sale. I have it cataloged as a Kushan. My other Hermaios is from the end of his reign (40 BC-1BC) when Sear (note after SG 7738) explains ended a series of debasements with fully AE tetradrachms. This one has silver wash. I have been unable to find a match for the controls mark in reverse field and Mitchiner lists a lot of them. This may be one Mitchiner notes as issued several years after the death of Hermaios or a plated forgery copying one of the normally better silver coins of an earlier period. I know nothing that helps with this coin that came to me in 1991. Does anyone? I don't have a normal coin of this ruler
..tbh, i may have misunderstood, or don't remember correctly what exactly it was that was 'imitation' about it..so dive in and reeducate me
