Here are 2 new additions to my collection. One is of King John I, who has been high on my want list but I refused to pay a lot for. And the second is another Parthian to my side collection of Parthian figures I have been assembling just for fun & a change of pace. Both are budget examples but I am happy to own. Mithradates V (140 A.D.) AR Drachm O: Diademed bust left. R: Archer (Arsakes I) seated right on throne, holding bow; monogram below bow. 2.96g 19mm Sellwood 82.1 (Mithradates IV); Sunrise 450; Shore 425 (Mithradates IV). Ex. Bertolami Fine Art Auction, E78 Lot 267 EX Simonetta Collection John I (1199 - 1216 A.D.) AR Penny Short Cross type, class Vb1 O: HENRICVS R-EX, crowned facing bust of John, right hand holding scepter. R: + ILGER ON LVND, voided short cross, quatrefoils of connected pellets in all quarters. Ilger moneyer London Mint 1.33g 18mm Cf. SCBI 56 (Maas) 1408; North 970; SCBC 1351.
Congrats, Mat. The Mithradates V drachm may have been part of the side collection - just a secondary purchase for you, but it’s special because of the provenance. For those who may not know, Alberto Simonetta was a major scholar in the realm of Parthian and Indo-Parthian coinage. Like his father Bono, who was a specialist in coins from both Parthia and Cappadocia, Alberto published quite extensively over the course of almost sixty years. For anyone who may be interested, his bibliography is here: http://www.parthia.com/webreport_59.htm So, that ex-Simonetta pedigree is meaningful. Thumbs up!
