Leu Numismatik

Auction 4  –  25 May 2019

Leu Numismatik, Auction 4

Celtic, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Medieval and Modern Coins

Sa, 25.05.2019, from 10:30 AM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

★ An extremely rare and very important drachm of Artavasdes II ★

KINGS OF ARMENIA. Artavasdes II, 56-34 BC. Drachm (Silver, 19 mm, 3.25 g, 1 h), Artaxata, RY 6 = 51/0 BC. Draped bust of Artavasdes II to right, wearing five-pointed tiara decorated with a star between two eagles and tied with a diadem. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ - BAΣIΛEΩN / AΡTAΥAZΔOΥ Helios (?) driving quadriga to left, being crowned with wreath by small figure of Nike held in his right hand; in field to left, monogram; above quadriga, ς. Kovacs 163. Extremely rare. An exceptional example of this very important issue, sharply struck in good silver and with a wonderful portrait. Somewhat rough, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From an important collection of Armenian coins.

Artavasdes II was the son of Tigranes 'II' the Great and - through his mother Cleopatra of Pontus - a grandchild of Mithradates VI Eupator. He succeeded to his father's throne as an ally of Rome, but he changed sides after the devastating defeat of Crassus against the Parthians at Carrhae in 53 BC. It was only in 36 BC, when Mark Antony launched his large-scale invasion of the Parthian Empire, that Artavasdes allied himself with Rome again. The Armenian King, however, failed to protect the siege weapon baggage train that he was entrusted with and Mark Antony eventually blamed him for the disastrous failure of his Parthian campaign. Two years later, the Romans invaded Armenia and disposed Artavasdes II, who was then held captive in Egypt for some years before being executed at the order of Mark Antony right after the battle of Actium. The silver coinage of Artavasdes II is uniformly very rare, as it was only struck in four years: Kovacs knew tetradrachms dated to 40/39 and 39/8 and drachms from 51/50 and 50/49 BC. Our coin thus belongs to the first silver emission of Artavasdes, struck just a few years after the Battle of Carrhae.

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Bidding

Price realized 39'000 CHF
Starting price 28'000 CHF
Estimate 35'000 CHF
The auction is closed.
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