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Search Advanced Search Search By Coin ID     Home ANCIENT/BYZANTINE Ancient Spain (872) Byzantine (753) MEDIEVAL/EARLY WORLD Germany (30) MODERN WORLD COUNTERFEITS AND IMITATIONS   Submit New Coin(s)   Sponsors page Terms of Service Contact Us About Us FAQ Page Coin Detail Click here to see enlarged image. ID:     75000614      [UNVERIFIED] Type:     Ancient East Region:     PRE-SELEUCID COINS OF BACTRIA Issuer:     Imitations of Athenian Owls Date Ruled:     Circa 305-294 BC Metal:     Bronze Diameter:     14 mm Weight:     1.63 g Die Axis:     8 h Obverse Description:     Helmeted head of Athena right Reverse Description:     Owl standing right, head facing Primary Reference:     cf. Bopearachchi, Sophytes 4 (diobol) Reference2:     SNG ANS 27 (diobol) Reference3:     SC 444 (Antiochos I) Reference4:     SCB P. 25, I (Antiochos I) Photograph Credit:     Classical Numismatic Group Source:     http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=103522 Grade:     Good VF, red-brown patina Notes:     Sale: CNG 75, Lot: 614 Extremely rare, the first to appear at auction. P. Bernard (”Monnaies inÉdites de la Bactriane grecque À Äi Khanoum (Afghanistan)” in RN 1980) originally argued for a pre-Seleucid date of issue for this type. Kritt (SCB) doubted such an early date and, based on the edge technique and die axes, and the attribution of these to AÏ Khanoum, suggested it was issued during the reign of Antiochos I. This view was adopted by Houghton and Lorber in SC, but in their forthcoming addenda to SC, they question the validity of their assignment of issues to AÏ Khanoum versus Bactra. Nonetheless, the rather novel obverse style of Athena on these bronzes is strikingly similar to an issue of diobols in the name of Sophytes (cf. Bopearachchi, Sophytes 4; SNG ANS 27), and is significantly different from the depiction of Athena in the Seleukid series in Baktria. Further, the die axis of the present coin dilutes the relevance of the examples with inverted dies in Kritt’s analysis. Lastly, the absence of Sophytes’ name on this type is not dispositive, as Sophytes issues coins both with and without his name.

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