I said I would not bid as I awoke. I said I would not bid as I logged in. I said I would not bid as I hit the enter button.....once, twice, thrice.........four times, then five........................................then six. Kings of Bactria, Eucratides I, circa 170-145. Tetradrachm, Merv circa 155-145 BC, AR 16.87 g. Naked, heroic and diademed bust of Eucratides I l., seen from behind, wearing horned helmet and holding spear in r. hand over r. shoulder. Rev. Dioscuri galloping r., each holding spear and palm branch; in r. field, monogram. Mitchiner 179a. Bopearachchi série 8, 57. Very rare. Minor edge marks, otherwise good very fine Maybe I shouldn't have had that second coffee.
It's a fantastic coin, congrats . Artistic, great relief and details, a wonderful example! I watched only briefly to check on a friend's targets and I literally sat on my hands to help prevent "accidents"
The king had some impressive back and shoulder muscles. Looks like Eucratides I was the Mr. Olympia of his day...either that or he had an excellent ministry of propaganda.
That is one amazing coin, congrats on the win. The heroic bust tet of Eucratides is my favorite of the Bactrian coins and one of the most attractive Hellenistic tets, in my humble opinion.
What a GORGEOUS Tet @4to2centBC ! WOW. Very nice, worth the bidding agony that you put yourself through... the rewards were great for the massive efforts you expended to protect yourself from acquiring. The cellator's work is fantastic... huge win for you! I have one of this guy... a "Quadruple Unit" in AE - looks the muscles are in his CHEEK on mine: Baktria Greco-Baktrian Kingdom Eukratides I Megas 170-145 BCE Dioscuri AE Quadruple Unit
Great new coin and I am sure the hammer cost was pretty steep. A very cool addition to your collection! Here's the one I'm going after...
@4to2centBC : I watched that coin sell and recall thinking it was a striking and distinctive design. Never crossed my mind that someone on CoinTalk would be the buyer. I know how mesmerizing it can be. Congratulations! You got one of the more distinctive and memorable coins of the day, in my view, and I don't even collect Greek, let alone Bactrian.
Yeah it's a gold coin - 20 stater piece weighing an eye-popping 169 grams, 55 mm in size!!! Only in museum(s) I guess.
They come up so rarely that I felt compelled to hit that last bid....and it was definitely my last bid. I agree. Dramatically different than the typical portrait style of most coins. NAC sent out a reminder email and this was one of the coins they highlighted. That is usually my sign to run. Oops. This should knock me out for awhile....................should. To all, thanks for the kind words.
Best Bactrian coin I've seen in a while... I usually only collect Roman portraits, unless something really grabs me! If i saw that coin, i'd be in the contest.
