Parthicus Presents: Top 10 coins of 2023

[Parthicus]

This year started off slowly for me, but by the end I managed to purchase some very nice coins. No "bucket list" pieces, but I ended up with some very historical and attractive coins. As usual, the order of the list is mostly random, except that the top slot is indeed my favorite of the year.

1. Sasanian Kingdom, Khusro III (631-2). AR drachm. One of the many short-lived claimants to teh Sasanian throne after the murder of Khusro II in 628, he controlled only the Khorasan region for a few months, and his coins are rare. Notice the beardless portrait- he was quite young (the scanty historical records don't say exactly how old). A rare coin from a turbulent period of history.

2. Crusaders in Antioch. Tancred (1104-1112), AE follis. (Photo borrowed from seller as it just arrived and I haven't photographed it yet.) On this specimen, you can clearly see that Tancred is wearing a turban. An attempt to ingratiate himself to the local population? Definitely an interesting piece.

3. Turco-Hephthalites. Vasu Deva (c.600-719), AR drachm. Not much historical information available, but I like the design (an interpretation of the Sasanian drachm) and the trilingual inscription. Plus, the tiny gold plug in the neck- this is apparently how the coins were made, perhaps as a guarantee of value?

4. Ghaznavids. mahmud (998-1030), dated 1028. AR dirham. Notable for the bilingual Arabic-Sanskrit inscription, the Sanskrit includes some key Islamic phrases and can be seen as an attempt to explain the Muslim religion to his newly-conquered Hindu subjects.
 

5. "Armenian-Sasanian". c.7th century CE? AR drachm. A Sasanian-imitative, probably struck in Armenia after the collapse of the Sasanian kingdom. Another coin where I mainly liked the design, and the history came second.

6. Ilkhans. Abu Sa'id (1316-1335). AR 6 dirhams. The Ilkhans (Mongols in Persia) tried out a number of innovative designs on their coins. On this one, I especially like the reverse use of Kufic Arabic script in a "square" format.

7. Roman Empire. Septimius Severus (193-211). AE sestertius. Yes, I do actually collect "classical" Greek and Roman coins sometimes. The reverse of the Emperor on horseback ties in nicely to the history of his military campaigns (including against Parthians), and on the obverse you can see he is wearing scale armor (lorica squamata).

8. Kushans. Wima Kadphises (c.113-127). AE drachm. While tetradrachms of this king and type are fairly common, the drachms are scarce, so I was happy to find this in a pick bin. The smooth, black patina is also very attractive in person, though I had trouble photographing it.

9. Parthians. Arsakes II (c.211-185 BCE). AE 16. Just a nice quality early Parthian bronze. The kind you see every day (not).
 

10. Arab-Sasanian. Salm ibn Ziyad (680-684). AR drachm. A scarce Arab-Sasanian drachm, from a governor whose loyalties proved flexible during a civil war.  

So, there's my Top 10 for 2023. Which were your favorites? Are there any that make you scratch your head at how anyone could like such a coin? Please comment below.

 

[Ryro]

Glad you had a good year. Way to go landing a Khusro III! Very interesting seeing a turbined Tancred. I also really like the Septimius Severus Sestertius 

[JayAg47]

I'm intrigued by the gold plugged Vasu Deva coin, reminds me of those Axum coins with gold inlays. Which makes me wonder why didn't people just scoop out the gold for themselves?

[Di Nomos]

Very interesting coins. I particularly like the coin with the gold plug, both design and intrigue wise. I also like #9, the Parthian bronze, probably because it has a 'Greek' feel too it.

Well done on your collection.

[kirispupis]

Very interesting additions for the year. My favorites are the Khusro III for its design and the Ghaznavids for its history.

[Curtisimo]

Great group of coins. My favorite is the same as yours. Really cool Khusro III!

[Al Kowsky]

Your Severus sestertius is clearly my favorite 😍.

[Qcumbor]

#1 and #9 are my favorites : you don't see often a parthian bronze this nice, and the Khusro III is something special

Q

[Ursus]

 Nice Tancred and Septimius Severus sestertius! You obviously had a good collecting year.

[robinjojo]

Very nice coins for 2023.  #8 is very interesting, especially the reverse.

[savitale]

Very interesting set of coins, basically none of which I have encountered before. Thanks for the learning experience. If I had to pick I would go for 4. Ghaznavids. mahmud (998-1030), dated 1028. AR dirham. just because I think it looks cool.

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Khrusru III is my favorite.