Parthian Kingdom. AR drachm. Osroes II (c. 190- 208 CE). Obverse: Bust of king left, wearing diadem and tiara. Reverse: Degraded archer seated right, surrounded by blundered pseudo-Greek legend, except top line is replaced with Aramaic XWSRW MLK' (Osroes king). Sellwood 85.1, Shore 437. This coin: Frank S. Robinson Auction 131, lot 89 (April 18, 2026). Very little is certain about the Parthian king Osroes II beyond his coins. Based on careful analysis of the coins' style, he appears to have immediately followed Vologases IV (d. 191) and to have overlapped substantially with Vologases V (191-208). He issued only silver drachms and some bronzes; the lack of tetradrachms implies he never controlled Seleucia on the Tigris (the sole tetradrachm mint) and was likely confined to the Iranian plateau for his whole reign. Assar lists some evidence that Osroes may have been a son of Vologases IV, and may have fled to Armenia after the death of Artabanos VI and continued the fight against the new Sasanian kingdom, but this is not certain. Drachms of Osroes II closely resemble those of Vologases IV, except that the beard is more angular, there is an additional vertical line at the top of the tiara, and the top line of the legend is in Aramaic and names the king, rather than the usual pseudo-Greek. Drachms of Osroes II are fairly common, and are often found in mint or near-mint condition; in fact, this specimen is notable for its unusually low grade (which was noted in the auction description)! Please post your related coins.
