This year started off slowly for me, but by the end I managed to purchase some very nice coins. No "bucket list" pieces, but I ended up with some very historical and attractive coins. As usual, the order of the list is mostly random, except that the top slot is indeed my favorite of the year. 1. Sasanian Kingdom, Khusro III (631-2). AR drachm. One of the many short-lived claimants to teh Sasanian throne after the murder of Khusro II in 628, he controlled only the Khorasan region for a few months, and his coins are rare. Notice the beardless portrait- he was quite young (the scanty historical records don't say exactly how old). A rare coin from a turbulent period of history. 2. Crusaders in Antioch. Tancred (1104-1112), AE follis. (Photo borrowed from seller as it just arrived and I haven't photographed it yet.) On this specimen, you can clearly see that Tancred is wearing a turban. An attempt to ingratiate himself to the local population? Definitely an interesting piece. 3. Turco-Hephthalites. Vasu Deva (c.600-719), AR drachm. Not much historical information available, but I like the design (an interpretation of the Sasanian drachm) and the trilingual inscription. Plus, the tiny gold plug in the neck- this is apparently how the coins were made, perhaps as a guarantee of value? 4. Ghaznavids. mahmud (998-1030), dated 1028. AR dirham. Notable for the bilingual Arabic-Sanskrit inscription, the Sanskrit includes some key Islamic phrases and can be seen as an attempt to explain the Muslim religion to his newly-conquered Hindu subjects. 5. "Armenian-Sasanian". c.7th century CE? AR drachm. A Sasanian-imitative, probably struck in Armenia after the collapse of the Sasanian kingdom. Another coin where I mainly liked the design, and the history came second. 6. Ilkhans. Abu Sa'id (1316-1335). AR 6 dirhams. The Ilkhans (Mongols in Persia) tried out a number of innovative designs on their coins. On this one, I especially like the reverse use of Kufic Arabic script in a "square" format. 7. Roman Empire. Septimius Severus (193-211). AE sestertius. Yes, I do actually collect "classical" Greek and Roman coins sometimes. The reverse of the Emperor on horseback ties in nicely to the history of his military campaigns (including against Parthians), and on the obverse you can see he is wearing scale armor (lorica squamata). 8. Kushans. Wima Kadphises (c.113-127). AE drachm. While tetradrachms of this king and type are fairly common, the drachms are scarce, so I was happy to find this in a pick bin. The smooth, black patina is also very attractive in person, though I had trouble photographing it. 9. Parthians. Arsakes II (c.211-185 BCE). AE 16. Just a nice quality early Parthian bronze. The kind you see every day (not). 10. Arab-Sasanian. Salm ibn Ziyad (680-684). AR drachm. A scarce Arab-Sasanian drachm, from a governor whose loyalties proved flexible during a civil war. So, there's my Top 10 for 2023. Which were your favorites? Are there any that make you scratch your head at how anyone could like such a coin? Please comment below.
I don't collect Sassanian nor Parthian coins either, though I do have one of each just because... My favorites: #7 Septimius Severus and #9 Arsakes II, which is a real beauty. Thank you so much for sharing your top 10 from 2023
I do collect Parthian/ Sasanian coinage/ and really appreciate seeing your wonderfull top "ten" Thank you so much for sharing. John
Nice acquisitions. I don´t collect those types, but of those you have shown I like 1, 9 and 5. Thanks for sharing.
Those are wonderful and interesting coins! I wish that I had the time and wherewithal to collect on even a semi systematic basis Sassanian and Islamic coins. But, time and most importantly a fixed income budget imposes limits. The Kushans. Wima Kadphises AE drachm is a very interesting coin, with a nice obverse and intriguing reverse. Is that Pegasus on the reverse?
Congrats on the top 10 @Parthicus, the coin from Turco-Hephthalite Vasu Deva is my favorite - with mysterious gold plug in the neck. Next on my list is the Septimius (which I think would have an [ADVENTVI AVG FELICISSIMO] legend on the reverse), and the Khusro III next on the list - I owe you thanks for several coins in my collection that are the result of reading one of your posts Best wishes for more interesting ancients in 2024!
The reverse of this coin shows the god Shiva with his mount Nandi, a humped bull (zebu). Zebu are still common in the Indian subcontinent: (photo from Wikipedia)
My favorite is the knowledge behind your collecting. Second favorite is the Ghaznavids, Mahmud (998-1030) dirham.
