Hi everyone, I won a couple of Persis coins in the CNG auction this morning and have a couple already (pictures to come once I figure out how to do that). I really like the history behind these little coins but don't have any coin reference materials for them - can anyone recommend a good coin reference book? Thanks
Hey, congrats and welcome to the club! Click on upload a file at the bottom of your post and download the photo from the desktop. Looks like everyone but me has had good luck with CNG. Every time I bid on a coin, i lose, even if I overbid to the point I think no one else could possibly want the coin at that price. I'll be watching this thread. I also have an interest in those coins, but have found little information on them. PS: Don't forget to ask @Bing to give you the secret handshake. Every ancient coin club member has to know the secret handshake
Ok this appears to have worked in the version I am seeing - the first one is Darios I (2nd century BC) and the second Napad (1st century AD) - I'm not sure why all the attribution info didn't come over with the pictures - when I have time later I'll provide the details. Interesting how the depiction of the fire altar in the Darios coin (king on left, Ahura-Mazda in flames, eagle on standard to right) compares with the more refined version in later Sassanid coins.
Welcome @TTerrier. Those look like nice coins but out of my collecting scope. There are many others here who collect them and are very knowledgeable, just not me. As far as the secret handshake @Sallent mentioned, I'll pass that back to him (cause I have no idea what he's talkin' about - almost never do).
Terrific coins!! And welcome @TTerrier !!! I only have a couple Sassanids...so I generally just research them via on-line as they come up... Several members are a bit more into this 'niche'....and I'm sure they will chime in after a bit.
Not the first or last time my attempts at humor fall flat. OP: Awesome coins man. Glag you were able to get them posted. They are very appealing.
Very nice coins! There are basically two references you can get. Either: The Numismatic Art of Persia: The Sunrise Collection or download the following book: Catalogue of the Greek coins of Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia
I like these coins because they are a kind of bridge between two great dynasties, the Parthian and the Sassanian. Persis was one of the kingdoms that were subject to the monarchs of all Iran, the Parthians. But the petty king of Persis, Ardashir (=Artaxerxes) rose against the last Parthian kings and managed to win the crown of the King of Kings. A brilliant general as well as a brilliant ruler, he laid the foundations of a vast empire that was to last for four centuries. In his coins, you can still recognize the style of the coins you won. Congrats!
Thanks everyone for your help - the Sunrise book looks great if a little pricey - the problem is I like books about coins almost as much as the coins themselves. I guess the secret handshake will have to remain a secret for now
Just an update re Persis coin references - a very helpful VCoins dealer (I'm not sure if we are allowed to mention names so I won't) told me that the two main references are: Alram,Michael. Iranisches Personennamenbuch: Nomina Propria Iranica In Nummis. Österreichischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften. (Vienna 1986) Article by Susan Tyler-Smith in Royal Numismatic Chronicle Volume 164 in 2004 He recommended the Tyler-Smith article over Alram for three reasons - Alram is quite pricey ($150 - $200 US); it seems to focus on the coin legends rather than differentiating on different coin designs (e.g. bust variations) and finally it looks at fewer coins than Tyler-Smith. It is also in German which adds to the fun. I just received Tyler-Smith - much cheaper (about $30 US) and the article is good (not long but well organized and in English). It analyzes a hoard and so while there are duplicate coins discussed there is quite a variety and I think comes up with a useful classification scheme. Coin legends are dealt with (i.e. transliterated and translated) and printed as you would see them on the coins which is really useful as many of the coins have degenerate legends. He also mentioned the Sunrise Collection book and while he thought it was excellent for Parthian coins there wasn't much coverage of Persis material. I received my CNG coins the other day (see above) - very nice in hand.
Thanks for the reference on Tyler-Smith. I am going to go download this from jstor . BTW, you can get free access to articles on jstor so you didn;t need to purchase the article (but I have download access to the articles via my University)... Here is the direct link on jstor: http://www.jstor.org/stable/42666292
For backgrounds on Iranic history I often go back to the Encyclopaedia Iranica (Iranica Online), a large base of online scientific knowledge. Here's the Kings of Persis section.
