Watch List notes:

Bactria, Eucratides. Tetradrachm; Bactria, Eucratides; 171-135 BC, Tetradrachm, 17.15g. Cf. Bop-Series 6, 51 (variant monogram on rev.). Obv: Draped and cuirassed bust of king r., wearing crested helmet ornamented with bull's horn and ear; no legend, fillet border. Rx: ??S???OS ??G??o? above, ????????o? in exergue, Dioscuri on horseback r., each wearing cap topped by + (star) and holding spear and palm, the inner horse looking back; H?Y monogram below forelegs of horses. Acquired in London, 1998. The monogram on our coin is interesting because it was not found by Bopearachchi on any other coin of Eucratides, but is quite similar to the monogram on the unique twenty-stater gold medallion of Eucratides in Paris, which according to Bopearachchi is the largest and heaviest surviving ancient coin in any metal. The monogram on the medallion may be described as an H, with a ? or ? above the crossbar of the H and with a Y below the crossbar, whose vertical stroke however continues between the two diagonal strokes in the top half of the letter. The monogram on our tetradrachm is the same, except that a small circle replaces the vertical and the leftwards slanting strokes at the top of the Y. See Bopearachchi p. 202, 25 and pl. 16.This issue is very popular and very well studied, thus it is remarkable to find an unpublished monogram. VF