Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3041 Sess. 4 13 August 2015
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SASANIAN KINGDOM. Shapur I the Great (AD 240-272). AV dinar (22mm, 7.40 gm, 3h). Mint I ("Ctesiphon"), Phase II, circa AD 260-272. Bust of Shapur right, wearing mural tiara with korymbos and long ear flap, large floriate brooch on left shoulder / Large flaming fire altar flanked by two attendants, both wearing mural crowns and holding scepters, mintmark in upper left field. Sunrise 740. Cf. SNS type 1ic/1b. Göbl type 1/1. A pleasing, well-struck example with a splendid portrait. Choice Mint State.The second king of the Sasanian dynasty, Shapur I's long and energetic reign raised Persia to glories it had not known since the heyday of the Achaemenid Kingdom eight centuries before. In AD 253 Shapur captured and sacked Antioch, the third greatest city of the Roman Empire, forcing the newly installed Emperor Valerian to assemble a large army and move east to confront the rampant Persians. Shapur drew the advancing Romans into a perfect trap and captured Valerian and his entourage alive, the greatest feat of arms yet by a Sasanian monarch and the worst humiliation ever suffered by a Roman emperor. A famous rock-carved relief in Naqsh-e Rustam shows Shapur seizing Valerian by the arm while another Roman Emperor (Philip) kneels before him in supplication. His military exploits enriched the treasury and enabled him to engage in stupendous building projects. A devout Zoroastrian, he was nevertheless tolerant of other faiths and is warmly mentioned as a just king in Jewish writings. Like many Sasanian kings, his silver coinage is vast while gold is rare.
Estimate: 10000-15000 USD
SASANIAN KINGDOM. Shapur I the Great (AD 240-272). AV dinar (22mm, 7.40 gm, 3h). Mint I ("Ctesiphon"), Phase II, circa AD 260-272. Bust of Shapur right, wearing mural tiara with korymbos and long ear flap, large floriate brooch on left shoulder / Large flaming fire altar flanked by two attendants, both wearing mural crowns and holding scepters, mintmark in upper left field. Sunrise 740. Cf. SNS type 1ic/1b. Göbl type 1/1. A pleasing, well-struck example with a splendid portrait. Choice Mint State.The second king of the Sasanian dynasty, Shapur I's long and energetic reign raised Persia to glories it had not known since the heyday of the Achaemenid Kingdom eight centuries before. In AD 253 Shapur captured and sacked Antioch, the third greatest city of the Roman Empire, forcing the newly installed Emperor Valerian to assemble a large army and move east to confront the rampant Persians. Shapur drew the advancing Romans into a perfect trap and captured Valerian and his entourage alive, the greatest feat of arms yet by a Sasanian monarch and the worst humiliation ever suffered by a Roman emperor. A famous rock-carved relief in Naqsh-e Rustam shows Shapur seizing Valerian by the arm while another Roman Emperor (Philip) kneels before him in supplication. His military exploits enriched the treasury and enabled him to engage in stupendous building projects. A devout Zoroastrian, he was nevertheless tolerant of other faiths and is warmly mentioned as a just king in Jewish writings. Like many Sasanian kings, his silver coinage is vast while gold is rare.
Estimate: 10000-15000 USD