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Cordoba's Top Coins of the Year

Cordoba

By Cordoba
in 2024 Top Coins of the Year

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Favorite(s) from the list  

41 members have voted

  1. 1. Favorite(s) from the list

    • 7. Demetrios Aniketos
      7
    • 6. Euthydemos II
      9
    • 5. Antimachos Pedigree Tetradrachm
      0
    • 4. Eukratides Tetradrachm
      10
    • 3. Antimachos Tetradrachms
      4
    • 2. Plato Tetradrachm (Mitchiner Indo-Greek Plate Coin)
      7
    • 1. Heroic Eukratides Tetradrachm
      24

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Cordoba Mentor

Cordoba

Posted · Member
Posted

This year was a really productive year for coins, for better or for worse. I managed to tick off many of my goals, and a couple unexpected goals as well. I also consigned a good chunk of my collection, and hope to refine it some more next year. I managed to keep my major purchases to only Baktria, and will continue doing so from now on!

 

7. Demetrios Aniketos Tetradrachm
 
Demetrios Aniketos was the som of Euthydemos I. He was sent to confirm the peace treaty with Antiochos III, after Antiochos had tried to reclaim the wayward satrap of Baktria. Antiochos III was thoroughly impressed by the prince's royal demeanor, and offered Demetrios his daughter in marriage, and allowed Euthydemos I to rule in Baktria. During his reign, he apparently conquered extensive parts of India. 
MIG_Type_103c_fubuki.png.d860d9e26a2690c129c48a41bdd2b455.png
 
6. Euthydemos II Tetradrachm 
 
Euthydemos II's tetradrachms are often struck in high relief, with this coin being no exception. He may have been the son of Demetrios Aniketos, and was the first ruler to mint coins in a copper-nickel alloy. His coins are fairly scarce, and I was happy to get a decently priced example at SARC.
image.png.626f307f9dc05cd88c5ae2e88774e0b0.png
euthydemos_ii_mio.jpg.0b4f6e8d2340215332f8358920598bb5.jpg
 
5. Antimachos Pedigree Tetradrachm
 
Comparing the coin to the pictures from the Gorny sale it had come from, this coin seems to have been Trausnitzed, but despite that, this is one of my favorite pickups this year. It commemorates Euthydemos, using his portrait giving him the epithet THEOS. This is an extremely rare type, and I managed to get a relative bargain on this, unlike the consignor who paid 4x what I did. Glenn posits that these were meant to be a stop gap when Antimachos came to power, until a portrait of his could be designed. A die link between Agathokles's Diodotos issues and Antimachos's seems to support this claim. One die was reengraved and continued to be used by Antimachos for his own Diodotos issues. Antimachos issued far less commemorative tetradrachms than Agathokles had, which could be due to a transition to Antimachos's regular coins with the kausia.
400_2.jpg.795f7837db1063d2b5c741c76177db84.jpg
 
4. Eukratides Tetradrachm
 
Eukratides had been the first Baktrian king I had gotten, and one that I had wanted to upgrade for a while. Although his tetradrachms are quite common, a lot of his portraits are quite goofy, and have poorly drawn horses, so I was happy to find one with a well rendered portrait and Dioskouroi. The rare monogram is also a nice bonus.
Eukratides_I_Megas_6FF_fubuki.png.20ba8c75a48d0aa78287d2f1c96c3c5a.png
 

3. Antimachos Tetradrachms 

Number 3 is a group of three Antimachos tetradrachms I bought this year. As an Antimachos enjoyer, I am happy to get some rare subtypes. The first coin pictured with ヨ in the left field is a pretty rare variant. I really like the medallic flan, and the Poseidon is well rendered.

The second Antimachos is the third known example with this monogram, the other two being a tetradrachm and drachm in museum collections. Ignoring the rare monogram, the coin itself is quite pleasing, with the details on Poseidon's face well preserved.

The third coin is notable because I can see Poseidon's nipple. I haven't managed to get the time to photograph the three, so I'll have to make do with auction photos.

antimachos_matsuri.jpg.0cf5b2b4b71647c599be1720250d4ae9.jpg

image00559.jpg.b31e2b70862a2994cee4d0864822f0f9.jpg

MIG_Type_124c.jpg.166e31b742c41b514a51069b29de4847.jpg

 

2. Plato Tetradrachm (Mitchiner Indo-Greek Plate Coin)
 
Plato's reign in Baktria was ephemereal, and he left no historical record of him other than his rare coinage. Plato may have been a relative of Eukratides I, and his coinage shares stylistic similarities to Eukratides II, Heliokles I, and Theophilos. The reverse is unusual, depicting Helios in a facing quadriga. He ruled during the turbulent times after the death of Eukratides, when the Greco-Baktrian Kingdom was beset by nomad invaders and Aï Khanoum had fallen.
 
Plato's coinage is among the rarest of Baktrian coinage, although slightly less rare due to a group of Plato tetradrachms that surfaced around 2019.
 
This had a hidden provenance to 1975, at the latest, which is quite good for a Baktrian coin. It is plated in Mitchiner's Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian Coinage, Volume 1, and I got lucky I had stumbled upon the plate while looking up the coin.
plato_marine.jpg.152818f371e944f473eaeb0ed107e5d6.jpg
20240926_163917.jpg.9a019eed70806dc486b2259a9c47fb71.jpg
 
1. Heroic Eukratides Tetradrachm 
 
Much to the chagrin of my bank account, I ticked off another one of my coin goals this year. This is probably the most iconic Baktrian coin type, and many subsequent Indo-greek kings minted coins inspired by this design.
 
If Justin is to be trusted, Eukratides subjugated India, but upon his return to Baktria, he was unceremoniously killed by his son, and had his blood ran through by a chariot. Eukratides was the last king to rule in Aï Khanoum, and the kingdom was beset by the Yuezhi after his death.
 
eukratides_fubuki.jpg.b067713a5f825625f031df1e8184a6d8.jpg
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Al Kowsky Grand Master

Al Kowsky

Posted · Member
Posted
20 minutes ago, Cordoba said:

This year was a really productive year for coins, for better or for worse. I managed to tick off many of my goals, and a couple unexpected goals as well. I also consigned a good chunk of my collection, and hope to refine it some more next year. I managed to keep my major purchases to only Baktria, and will continue doing so from now on!

 

7. Demetrios Aniketos Tetradrachm
 
Demetrios Aniketos was the som of Euthydemos I. He was sent to confirm the peace treaty with Antiochos III, after Antiochos had tried to reclaim the wayward satrap of Baktria. Antiochos III was thoroughly impressed by the prince's royal demeanor, and offered Demetrios his daughter in marriage, and allowed Euthydemos I to rule in Baktria. During his reign, he apparently conquered extensive parts of India. 
MIG_Type_103c_fubuki.png.d860d9e26a2690c129c48a41bdd2b455.png
 
6. Euthydemos II Tetradrachm 
 
Euthydemos II's tetradrachms are often struck in high relief, with this coin being no exception. He may have been the son of Demetrios Aniketos, and was the first ruler to mint coins in a copper-nickel alloy. His coins are fairly scarce, and I was happy to get a decently priced example at SARC.
image.png.626f307f9dc05cd88c5ae2e88774e0b0.png
euthydemos_ii_mio.jpg.0b4f6e8d2340215332f8358920598bb5.jpg
 
5. Antimachos Pedigree Tetradrachm
 
Comparing the coin to the pictures from the Gorny sale it had come from, this coin seems to have been Trausnitzed, but despite that, this is one of my favorite pickups this year. It commemorates Euthydemos, using his portrait giving him the epithet THEOS. This is an extremely rare type, and I managed to get a relative bargain on this, unlike the consignor who paid 4x what I did. Glenn posits that these were meant to be a stop gap when Antimachos came to power, until a portrait of his could be designed. A die link between Agathokles's Diodotos issues and Antimachos's seems to support this claim. One die was reengraved and continued to be used by Antimachos for his own Diodotos issues. Antimachos issued far less commemorative tetradrachms than Agathokles had, which could be due to a transition to Antimachos's regular coins with the kausia.
400_2.jpg.795f7837db1063d2b5c741c76177db84.jpg
 
4. Eukratides Tetradrachm
 
Eukratides had been the first Baktrian king I had gotten, and one that I had wanted to upgrade for a while. Although his tetradrachms are quite common, a lot of his portraits are quite goofy, and have poorly drawn horses, so I was happy to find one with a well rendered portrait and Dioskouroi. The rare monogram is also a nice bonus.
Eukratides_I_Megas_6FF_fubuki.png.20ba8c75a48d0aa78287d2f1c96c3c5a.png
 

3. Antimachos Tetradrachms 

Number 3 is a group of three Antimachos tetradrachms I bought this year. As an Antimachos enjoyer, I am happy to get some rare subtypes. The first coin pictured with ヨ in the left field is a pretty rare variant. I really like the medallic flan, and the Poseidon is well rendered.

The second Antimachos is the third known example with this monogram, the other two being a tetradrachm and drachm in museum collections. Ignoring the rare monogram, the coin itself is quite pleasing, with the details on Poseidon's face well preserved.

The third coin is notable because I can see Poseidon's nipple. I haven't managed to get the time to photograph the three, so I'll have to make do with auction photos.

antimachos_matsuri.jpg.0cf5b2b4b71647c599be1720250d4ae9.jpg

image00559.jpg.b31e2b70862a2994cee4d0864822f0f9.jpg

MIG_Type_124c.jpg.166e31b742c41b514a51069b29de4847.jpg

 

2. Plato Tetradrachm (Mitchiner Indo-Greek Plate Coin)
 
Plato's reign in Baktria was ephemereal, and he left no historical record of him other than his rare coinage. Plato may have been a relative of Eukratides I, and his coinage shares stylistic similarities to Eukratides II, Heliokles I, and Theophilos. The reverse is unusual, depicting Helios in a facing quadriga. He ruled during the turbulent times after the death of Eukratides, when the Greco-Baktrian Kingdom was beset by nomad invaders and Aï Khanoum had fallen.
 
Plato's coinage is among the rarest of Baktrian coinage, although slightly less rare due to a group of Plato tetradrachms that surfaced around 2019.
 
This had a hidden provenance to 1975, at the latest, which is quite good for a Baktrian coin. It is plated in Mitchiner's Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian Coinage, Volume 1, and I got lucky I had stumbled upon the plate while looking up the coin.
plato_marine.jpg.152818f371e944f473eaeb0ed107e5d6.jpg
20240926_163917.jpg.9a019eed70806dc486b2259a9c47fb71.jpg
 
1. Heroic Eukratides Tetradrachm 
 
Much to the chagrin of my bank account, I ticked off another one of my coin goals this year. This is probably the most iconic Baktrian coin type, and many subsequent Indo-greek kings minted coins inspired by this design.
 
If Justin is to be trusted, Eukratides subjugated India, but upon his return to Baktria, he was unceremoniously killed by his son, and had his blood ran through by a chariot. Eukratides was the last king to rule in Aï Khanoum, and the kingdom was beset by the Yuezhi after his death.
 
eukratides_fubuki.jpg.b067713a5f825625f031df1e8184a6d8.jpg

Lovely coins, I voted for #1 😊.

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Qcumbor Grand Master

Qcumbor

Posted · Supporter
Posted

Great group of coins I'm not familiar with. I voted for the group of three Antimachos tets, just because I too think nipples are an excellent reason for buying a coin !!

😄 Q

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robinjojo Grand Master

robinjojo

Posted · Benefactor
  • Benefactor
Posted (edited)

Wonderful Bactrian coins!  The Eukratides tetradrachm is excellent, as are the Antimachos tetradrachm and the heroic Eukratides tetradrachm.

Edited by robinjojo
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Sulla80 Grand Master

Sulla80

Posted · Supporter
Posted

Great Bactrian collection!  All wonderful coins - I chose the 3 even numbered coins in the poll.  High relief, Eukratides with Dioskouri, and Plato!  Best wishes for the New Year!

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