Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3044 3-4 January 2016
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GRECO-BACTRIAN KINGDOM. Eucratides I the Great (ca. 171-145 BC). AV stater (20mm, 8.51 gm, 11h). Diademed and draped bust of Eucratides right, wearing crested and broad-brimmed Bactrian helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear; all within pelleted border / BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛΟΥ EYKPATIΔOY, the Dioscouroi mounted right on rearing horses, holding palm fronds over shoulders and couched spears; monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 5 variant (unlisted monogram); cf. 7A (drachm). Al. N. Oikonomedes, The Gold Coinage of the Indo-Greek King Eukratides I (171-155 B.C.), North American Journal of Numismatics 7.6 (1968), Group B. SNG ANS 163 variant (different monogram). MIG Type 176 variant (unlisted monogram). Very rare! Deeply struck and fully lustrous, a phenomenal piece. NGC Choice MS 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style.By 240 BC, the regions encompassing modern Afghanistan and northern India had broken from Seleucid rule and became independent under their own line of kings, which were showcased in a series of coin portraits of astonishing power and realism. Greatest of these was Eucratides, ca. 171-145 BC, whose vast realm was larger than any other Greek-ruled kingdom of the time. Eucratides struck silver coins in vast numbers and many survive today. His gold coins, however, are exceedingly rare. This magnificent piece depicts Eucratides as a general wearing a broad-brimmed helmet, greatly resembling a modern-day British explorer in a pith helmet. The portrait, rendered in sculptural high relief, is nearly photographic in its realism and exemplifies the virtuosity achieved by the artisans of this far-flung Greek enclave.
Estimate: 80000-110000 USD
GRECO-BACTRIAN KINGDOM. Eucratides I the Great (ca. 171-145 BC). AV stater (20mm, 8.51 gm, 11h). Diademed and draped bust of Eucratides right, wearing crested and broad-brimmed Bactrian helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear; all within pelleted border / BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛΟΥ EYKPATIΔOY, the Dioscouroi mounted right on rearing horses, holding palm fronds over shoulders and couched spears; monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 5 variant (unlisted monogram); cf. 7A (drachm). Al. N. Oikonomedes, The Gold Coinage of the Indo-Greek King Eukratides I (171-155 B.C.), North American Journal of Numismatics 7.6 (1968), Group B. SNG ANS 163 variant (different monogram). MIG Type 176 variant (unlisted monogram). Very rare! Deeply struck and fully lustrous, a phenomenal piece. NGC Choice MS 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style.By 240 BC, the regions encompassing modern Afghanistan and northern India had broken from Seleucid rule and became independent under their own line of kings, which were showcased in a series of coin portraits of astonishing power and realism. Greatest of these was Eucratides, ca. 171-145 BC, whose vast realm was larger than any other Greek-ruled kingdom of the time. Eucratides struck silver coins in vast numbers and many survive today. His gold coins, however, are exceedingly rare. This magnificent piece depicts Eucratides as a general wearing a broad-brimmed helmet, greatly resembling a modern-day British explorer in a pith helmet. The portrait, rendered in sculptural high relief, is nearly photographic in its realism and exemplifies the virtuosity achieved by the artisans of this far-flung Greek enclave.
Estimate: 80000-110000 USD