Watch List notes:

Auction 88 Part I
Greek Coins
Kingdom of Bactria, Sophites circa 315 – 294

Drachm, Bactra circa 300, AR 3.65 g. Head of satrap r., wearing helmet with cheekpiece, three olive leaves over visor and spiral palmette on bowl. Rev. ΣΩΦYΤΟΥ Cockerel standing r.; behind, caduceus. Whitehead NC 1943, pp. 64, 1 and pl. III, 7 (these dies). Mitchiner type 29b. SNG ANS 21.
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. Light
iridescent tone and extremely fine / good extremely fine

From a Swiss collection and privately purchased from Frank Kovacs in 2003.

"Sophytes" known to us through a good number of coins bearing his name in the genitive form: ΣÙΦYTOY, is one of the most enigmatic rulers of Central Asian history. The geographical situation of his kingdom, the definition of his chronology and the identification of the origin of his name caused much ink to flow since the publication of his first known coin by Alexander Cunningham in 1866. Since then these coins, certainly because of their excellent workmanship and the unusual name, aroused much curiosity among the numismatists and historians of Central Asia and India. Coins of Sophytos are very closely linked with two other series known as 'imitations of Athenian 'owls' and 'eagle series' found in the territories north of the Hindu Kush mountains. Bopearachchi believes that these coins were struck before Seleucus I's eastern expedition against Chandragupta which led to the treaty signed with the latter in 303 BC.