Greek Silver & Bronze

Lot 3278    Session 11 (9.30am Thursday)    Greek Silver & Bronze

Estimate $2,400
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $2,000

PARTHIA, Kingdom of, Bagasis, (127-126 B.C.), silver tetradrachm, (15.860 grams), Seleucia mint, obv. long bearded bust to right in diadem, filleted border, rev. Demeter enthroned to left, holding Nike in right hand, cornucopiae in left, neirod supporting throne, to right, **BASILEWS* to left **[A]RSAKOU*, (S.-, Sellwood 18.1 [£3500], Le Rider Suse, Pl.lxxi, 1-2, BMC -, Shore -). Some minor porosity at edge, otherwise good very fine and extremely rare.

See the attribution and discovery of this ruler by Dr. Assar in Celator January 2001. Bagasis known from some cuneiform texts as Baga-asa a brother of the rulers Phraates I, Mithradates I and Artabanus I and is suggested by Dr Assar to be the short lived ruler (of a few months) and the successor of Pharaates II. The forty known examples almost all come from the one hoard found several years ago.