Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;FitzNigel, post: 7470502, member: 74712&quot;]I have been looking for a decent reference book for the coins of Bactria and India for my Numismatic library.&nbsp; While I once borrowed <i>Bopearachchi’s Monnaies Gréco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques</i> from the ANA, I recall it not being very user friendly (or perhaps it was that thinking in French takes a bit longer for me).&nbsp; Anyway, when CNG released volume 12 of their <i>Handbook of Greek Coinage Series</i>, which covers Bactria and Ancient India, I decided to purchase a copy to try out the series.&nbsp; While I will eventually give it a review in my <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/fitz%E2%80%99s-ancient-book-review.349693/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/fitz%E2%80%99s-ancient-book-review.349693/">book thread</a>, I decided to have some fun reattributing and cataloguing some of my Indian coins.&nbsp; The catalogue provides the legends in translation, but also included a typed Kharosthi script for the reverse legends (the obverse is in Greek), which got me thinking about if I could recreate the legends in Unicode.&nbsp; And sure enough, codespace 10A00 through 10A50 is dedicated to Kharosthi!&nbsp; While it is difficult to make out the characters on my screen, I found a handy chart on <a href="https://omniglot.com/writing/kharosthi.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://omniglot.com/writing/kharosthi.htm" rel="nofollow">omniglot.com</a> which laid out the script with English sounding equivalents, and I was able to match up the Unicode:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1293659[/ATTACH] </p><p><font size="3">Although after putting in the work here, I found a similar and more comprehensive chart on <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharosthi" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharosthi" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a>.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>So with the new reference in hand, I was able to create some more accurate attributions for my Bactrian coins (although I admit that some of my Kharosthi letters may well be inaccurate - I am just a mere amateur in this realm!):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1293662[/ATTACH] <font size="3">Kingdom of Bactria</font></p><p><font size="3">Menander I r. c. 165/55-130 B.C.</font></p><p><font size="3">AE Light Chalkos, 13.13 x 13.34 mm x 2.3 grams</font></p><p><font size="3">Obv.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ / ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ. Elephant head right</font></p><p><font size="3">Rev.: /&nbsp; (Maharajasa tratarasa / Menamdrasa). Club, value mark A to right, monogram to left.</font></p><p><font size="3">Ref.: HGC 12-197, Bopearachchi 28E, SGCV 7616</font></p><p><br /></p><p>And supposedly, my very sharp Menander I was giving a rarity of R3 in the catalogue (which means only “one or two examples are believed to be extant” according to the chart on pg. lxxxiii).&nbsp; I’m fairly certain this is incorrect, as I have seen other coins like mine, but the right facing diademed bust, coupled with the reverse monograph to the right of Athena (instead of to the left) was considered the rarer variety according to the text.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1293663[/ATTACH] </p><p><font size="3">Kingdom of Bactria</font></p><p><font size="3">Menander I r. c. 165/55-130 B.C.</font></p><p><font size="3">AR Drachm, 15.71mm x 2.5 grams</font></p><p><font size="3">Obv.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ / ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ (King Savior / Menander). Diademed bust of Menander right</font></p><p><font size="3">Rev.: /&nbsp; (Maharajasa tratarasa / Menamdrasa).&nbsp; Athena Promachos standing left brandishing thunderbolt and aegis, monogram right</font></p><p><font size="3">Ref.: HGC 12-192, Bopearachchi, Ménandre (I) Sôter, 67, pg. 233, plate 28</font></p><p><br /></p><p>So this lead me down another idea.&nbsp; In my box of ‘to sell someday’ coins, I had an extra Menander that I received as part of a lot, and decided to compare the two.&nbsp; The second was missing the monogram to the right, but as I looked closer, the Kharosthi script on the reverse looked different.&nbsp; Much of the Greek script on the obverse is off-flan for the ruler’s name, but the Kharosthi script was quite clear - this wasn’t Menander, but Stranton I!</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1293664[/ATTACH] <font size="3">Kingdom of Bactria</font></p><p><font size="3">Stranton I, c. 110-85 B.C.</font></p><p><font size="3">AR Drachm, 17.63 mm x 2.09 grams</font></p><p><font size="3">Obv.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ / ΣΤΡΑΤΩΝΟΣ. Diademed bust of Straton I facing right</font></p><p><font size="3">Rev.: / (Maharajasa tratarasa dhramikasa Stratasa [of Great King Straton the Just Savior]). Athena Promachos standing left brandishing thunderbolt and shield, monogram to left</font></p><p><font size="3">Ref.: HGC 12-340, SGCV 7658</font></p><p><font size="3">Apologies for the phone photo.&nbsp; I have resigned myself to not getting new coin photos taken until the school year is over.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>HGC also lists this coin as R3 (and I wouldn’t know any better, admittedly), but seeing as Stranton I is a ruler I did not have, this coin came out of the ‘to sell’ pile and has now joined my collection!</p><p><br /></p><p>Please feel free to post any Bactrian coins, or if there is anything else with Kharosthi, please share that too![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in