Sasanian AV Dinar Leu win #2

[panzerman]

AV Dinar ND

Mint I     Ctesiphon

21mm.     7.43g.       3h      .999

Shapur I 242-70AD "the Great"

Diademed/ draped bust R/ wearing Mural Crown/ great Korymbos top/ long Ear Flaps/ long Beard with two Rings/ Curly awfull hairdo/ two Ribbons behind Head.

Pahlavi: " The Mazda-worshipping ( I much prefer Corvettes) Lord Shapur, King of kings of the Iranians/ whose essence is from the Gods"

Zoroastrian Fire Altar/ flanked by two Regal Attendants/ wearing Mural  Crowns & holding Scepters/ Right & Left/ Three Pellets Right of Altar Shaft.

Pahlavi: "Fire of Shapur"

Göbl Type 1/1   SNS Type IIc/ Ib Style "P"

 

[Al Kowsky]

John, this is a great example of Persian numismatic art & a good fit to your impressive coin collection 🤩!

[panzerman]

Thank Al!

A real great hammer price to boot, There are way more Shapur AV Dinars out there/ then Valerian I AV Aurei/ but then his Son struck hundreds of different types of aurei/ most R-2 and higher/ steal cheaper then common aurei form earlier Emperors.

[JeandAcre]

Fantastic!!!  I still wish I had a drachm of Shapur.  --Do you have an aureus of Valerian?    Or even a Gallienus?  That would definitely count as being within shouting distance.  (--This synapse just lit up:)  What about a Gallienus as co-emperor with Valerian?

[kirispupis]

That's one major pickup! I've bid on a drachm of Shapur I a few times (albeit very nice ones) and even that I didn't win. 🙂

It's interesting that except for yours and one other, they all went for the same price. I have a feeling a shop bought all four and placed the same bid on yours.

What's even more puzzling though is that means the underbidder also placed nearly the same bid on all of them. You'd think after losing one or two he would have increased his bid.

[Sulla80]

Wow - a perfect coin @panzerman.  I'll add a less perfect drachm of Shapur I:

Early in his reign - before the humiliation of Valerian - Shapur's armies defeated and killed on the Gordian III on the battlefield :

“Just as we were established on the throne, the emperor Gordianus gathered in all of the Roman Empire an army of Goths and Germans and marched on Āsōristān (Assyria), against Ērānšahr and against us. On the edges of Assyria, at Misiḵē [on the Euphrates as it flows close to the Tigris], there was a great frontal battle. And Gordianus Caesar perished, and we destroyed the Roman army. And the Romans proclaimed Philip emperor. And Philip Caesar came to us for terms, and paid us 500,000 dinars as ransom for his life and became tributary to us.”
- Shapur I writing of the battle that killed Gordian III in 244 AD between January and March

[panzerman]

On 12/11/2023 at 6:24 PM, JeandAcre said:

Fantastic!!!  I still wish I had a drachm of Shapur.  --Do you have an aureus of Valerian?    Or even a Gallienus?  That would definitely count as being within shouting distance.  (--This synapse just lit up:)  What about a Gallienus as co-emperor with Valerian?

Glad you asked! I had picked up from Teutonburger Auctions (unsold lots list) a vz-st (EF-MS) AV Aureus Gallienus (joint reign) with Dad 255-57AD. Best it is RRRRR unique/ I am the only one on planet that has one in his coll. Last time this coin was auctioned Ars Classica 2004. Its also naturally the Calicó plate  coin.