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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ancientnoob, post: 2194823, member: 44140&quot;]Its been a while since I posted this coin. It sits in my collection among my overall favorites. The coin is not perfect and it is not without its problems. The surface has been cleaned but is beginning to tone down. I can credit this 2012 coin purchase with steering my collecting interests Eastward. (Westward to most people on earth.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Map Credit to PNGCOM</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.ancient.eu/uploads/images/display-260.jpg?v=1431031715" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>The coin in hand is amazing. The king&#039;s portrait is in surprisingly high relief. The coin is fairly thin over all but the king really stands out. The obverse legend is pretty clear and you can clearly see the kings name. BASILEWS SWTHROS MENANDPOY or Our King Menander the Savior. The reverse featuring the ornate Kharosthi legend (although 3/4 off flan) MAHARAJA TRATASA MENADRASA &quot;the savior king. The reverse also features Athena Alkidemos (as protector of the city) Advancing with thunderbolt, reminiscent of the reverse of the tetradrachms of Alexander&#039;s successors in Macedonia.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Interesting...Menander was the first recorded King to be Buddhist Convert.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Questions of Milinda&quot; from Hutchison&#039;s Story of Nations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Expert from wikipedia...</p><p><br /></p><p><i>The Milinda Panha (Pali trans. &quot;Questions of Milinda&quot;) is a Buddhist text which dates from approximately 100 BCE. It is included in the Burmese edition of the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism as a book of the Khuddaka Nikaya; however, it does not appear in the Thai or Sri Lankan versions. A shorter version of it, however, is featured in Chinese Mahayana translations.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>It purports to record a dialogue in which the Indo-Greek king Menander I (Pali Milinda) of Bactria, who reigned in the 2nd century BCE, poses questions on Buddhism to the sage Nāgasena.</i></p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/King_Milinda_ask_questions.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>This coin really shows off the true blending of east and west Greek on one side and and Kharosthi on the other side.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now the reshoot....</p><p><br /></p><p>Asia, Bactria</p><p>Indo-Greek Kingdom</p><p>House of Euthydemus</p><p>Menander I Soter (Milinda Panha) (r.BC 155-130)</p><p>AR Tetradrachm 26.5 mm x 9.63 grams.</p><p>Obverse: Diademed bust of Menander right. Greek Legend -BASILEWS SWTHROS MENANDPOY</p><p>Reverse: Athena Alkidemos (as protector of the city) Advancing left with thunderbolt and Gorgon faced shield. Monograms Left and Right Fields; Kharosthi Legend-MAHARAJA TRATASA MENADRASA</p><p>Ref: SNG ANS 764-767. Bopearachchi 12A</p><p>Note: Large denomination. Scarce. Ancient King of Religious and Historical significance.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]426869[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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