Roma Numismatics Ltd
E-Sale 106 16 Feb 2023
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Sogdiana, uncertain mint Æ 11mm. Circa 3rd century BC. In the name of Andragoras. Head of Athena to right, wearing Corinthian crested helmet / Head and neck of bull facing slightly to left; AP monogram above, [Α]ΝΔΡΑΓΟΡO[Y] below. Unpublished in the standard references. For similar style of obv. type, cf. Kritt, Andragoras, Double Darics, and the coinage of Alexandria on the Oxus, p. 20 (silver fractions of Sophytes and Seleukid issues); cf. NC 1879, pl. I, 3 (barbarous Sogdian imitation of Alexander's Stater); for similar rev. type, cf. SC 7 (bronze of Seleukos I Nikator); for monogram, cf. Kritt, Andragoras, p. 14 (Mint C). 1.36g, 11mm, 9h.
Near Extremely Fine; pierced. Unpublished and possibly unique, and of great numismatic interest.
From the Neil Collection.
The reverse of this coin appears to bear the name of Andragoras however it is unlikely it was issued by the elusive satrap associated with Parthia. There are no known bronze coins for any of the series of the Andragoras sequence, nor for the Sophytes sequence which succeeded it. Bopearachchi attributed an anepigraphic bronze type to Sophytes however it has since been proven by Kritt that it is a type of Antiochos I struck at Aï Khanoum (see SMAK, pp. 67-9 and Andragoras pp. 20-1). This coin might be understood within the context of the extensive copying by workshops in Sogdiana, predominantly by the occupying Skythians, who created local coinages from Baktrian coin types. Kritt has demonstrated that the copyists extracted individual elements from coins and combined them with unrelated prototypes (From Aï Khanoum to Samarqand - Seleucid Coins in Central Asia, CNS 13, Lancaster 2021, p. 31). One explanation for this coin is that the inscription was copied from one of Andragoras and the design elements from other Greek prototypes. The presence of Andragoras coins in the Oxus treasure, as well as the presence of other Sophytes sequence coins at Samarqand, confirm that they are possible prototypes for local coinage in Sogdiana.
Near Extremely Fine; pierced. Unpublished and possibly unique, and of great numismatic interest.
From the Neil Collection.
The reverse of this coin appears to bear the name of Andragoras however it is unlikely it was issued by the elusive satrap associated with Parthia. There are no known bronze coins for any of the series of the Andragoras sequence, nor for the Sophytes sequence which succeeded it. Bopearachchi attributed an anepigraphic bronze type to Sophytes however it has since been proven by Kritt that it is a type of Antiochos I struck at Aï Khanoum (see SMAK, pp. 67-9 and Andragoras pp. 20-1). This coin might be understood within the context of the extensive copying by workshops in Sogdiana, predominantly by the occupying Skythians, who created local coinages from Baktrian coin types. Kritt has demonstrated that the copyists extracted individual elements from coins and combined them with unrelated prototypes (From Aï Khanoum to Samarqand - Seleucid Coins in Central Asia, CNS 13, Lancaster 2021, p. 31). One explanation for this coin is that the inscription was copied from one of Andragoras and the design elements from other Greek prototypes. The presence of Andragoras coins in the Oxus treasure, as well as the presence of other Sophytes sequence coins at Samarqand, confirm that they are possible prototypes for local coinage in Sogdiana.