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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Pellinore, post: 4208901, member: 74834&quot;]That&#039;s really special, a Gordianus III as caesar. He was junior partner of the infamous emperors Balbinus and Pupienus for three months only: April 22-July 29 of the year 238. As an unblemished youth in a world full of fighting, he must have embodied the hope of all the Roman Empire. </p><p><br /></p><p>The two coins I won in the last two electronic CNG auctions arrived a few days ago, and I&#039;m mighty happy with &#039;em. One was on my bucket list for a long time: a Parthian tetradrachm of king Phraataces (2 BC-4 AD). </p><p><br /></p><p>I wanted this coin for a non-numismatical reason: it is dated 311 in the Seleucid calendar, the year from October, 2 BC to September, 1 BC. And I would like a coin nearing to the non-existing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_zero" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_zero" rel="nofollow">Year Zero</a> as much as possible. (Yes, I know that Jesus is now estimated to have been born between 7 and 4 &quot;BC&quot;. But I like calendars, special numbers and such - like we had a palindromatic day last February, 02/02/2020). </p><p><br /></p><p>Also, these coins are dated to the month, and this one is from the month of Artemisios or April 1 BC. </p><p>Naturally, I would like a tetradrachm of December 1 BC or January 1 AD even more (let alone one flaunting the year 0)! But though not rare, these Phraataces coins are sought after, I noticed. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1078937[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Phraataces (2 BC-4 AD). AR tetradrachm. Obv. Bust to the left, pointed beard, Nike flying at his left. Ear is visible. Rev. King enthroned to the right with bow; Date AIT (311), APTEMISIOV (&quot;of April&quot;) = 1 BC. Sellwood 57.4. 26 mm, 10.13 gr.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remark that the Greek word &#039;Dikaiou&#039; (&quot;<i>Of the Righteous</i> king&quot;) on the reverse is placed from the center to the outside, but the name of the month is readable from the outside, like the coin should be held. It probably was deemed more important than that stereotype attribution of the king, who in all probability was not a very righteous man. </p><p><br /></p><p>(My other win will appear in this <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-interesting-point-on-celtic-coins.356051/#post-4208374" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-interesting-point-on-celtic-coins.356051/#post-4208374">Celtic coin thread</a> today or tomorrow).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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