PREV ARTICLE
NEXT ARTICLE
FULL ISSUE
PREV FULL ISSUE
HERITAGE: INDIA SHOWCASE AUCTIONHeritage Auctions will be hosting their June 1 Spotlight: India World and Ancient Coins Showcase Auction. Select items are discussed below. -Garrett 
INDO-GREEK KINGDOMS. Bactria. Menander I Soter (ca. 165/155-130 BC). AR Indic drachm (16mm, 2.49 gm, 11h). NGC MS 5/5 - 3/5. Indian standard. Uncertain mint in the Paropamisadai or Gandhara. BASI?EOS SOTHPOS / MENAN?POY, diademed, draped bust of Menander right, seen from front, wearing broad-brimmed, crested Boeotian helmet with bull horn and ear / Maharajasa tratasara Menamdrasa (Kharosthi), Athena advancing left, seen from behind, aegis shield on left arm, brandishing thunderbolt with right; PKA monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 16C. HGC 12, 193.
To read the complete item description, see:
INDIA. Kushan Empire. Kanishka II (ca. AD 230-247). AV dinar (24mm, 8.02 gm, 11h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 5/5. Kushan standard, Bactria, late phase. KANHÞAO KOÞANO ÞAONANOÞAO (blundered), Vasudeva I standing facing, nimbate head left, wearing diadem with ribbons to right, jeweled triangular helmet with forehead crescent, clad in full armor with long-sleeved knee-length tunic, coils covering arms, top as chain mail, shirt of plate mail, worn over trousers and high boots, sacrificing with right hand over altar at left, grounded trident in left hand, flames emanating from right shoulder; filleted trident to left, nandipada below seven pellets in a rosette pattern to right, annulet on altar / OhÞO, Ithyphallic Siva standing facing with two arms and single head, hair in topknot with curls outlining face, wearing ankle-length dhoti with symmetrical folds, erect lingammmm, diadem in right hand, trident with annulet on shaft in left; the bull Nandi standing left in background, tamgha to upper left, tetraskelion below bull's head, dotted border. ANS Kushan 1695 (Kushano-Sasanian Imitations in the names of Vasudeva I and Kanishka II). Mitchiner 3396 (Peshawar). Sunrise -. Göbl, MK 664/4. Ex Historical Scholar Collection (Heritage Auctions, Auction 61292, 4 December 2022), lot 98075.
To read the complete item description, see:
INDIA. Gupta Empire. Samudragupta (ca. AD 344-378). AV dinar (20mm, 7.49 gm, 1h). ANACS VF 35. Javelin Type. Samarasatavitatavijayo jitaripurajito divam jayati (Brahmi), Samudragupta, standing facing, nimbate head left, javelin in left hand, dropping incense with right hand over lit altar to left; Garuda on standard to left, Samudra to right / Parakramah (Brahmi), Laksmi seated in the paralambapasana posture on throne, resting feet on scattered piles of coins, diadem in right hand, cornucopia in left; tamgha in left field. TOTGE 2024, p. 248, Class II, Variety A. Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3099 (6 May 2022), lot 31280. The second Gupta Emperor, Samudragupta introduced many unique gold coin types during his long reign and litany of conquests, the most standard of which is the javelin type. The obverse legend reads, "The unconquered one who has conquered his enemies and has continuously attained victories in a hundred battles, wins heaven", and on the reverse "Parakrama". The Allahabad Pillar inscription, which contains a panegyric of Samudragupta written by the Gupta courtier Harisena, provides a pertinent supplement to this javelin type coin: "Of him who was skillfully engaged in hundreds of different battles, whose only ally was valor (parakrama) through the might of his own arm, thus has the epithet Parakrama; and his body was most charming, being covered over with the plenteous beauty of the marks of hundreds of promiscuous scars, caused by battle-axes, arrows, spikes, spears, barbed darts, swords, iron clubs, javelins for throwing, barbed arrows, span-long arrows and many other weapons."
To read the complete item description, see:
INDIA. Kushan Empire. Huvishka (ca. AD 151-190). AV dinar (22mm, 7.94, 11h). Choice AU. Kushan standard, Bactria, main mint (probably Balkh), late phase. ÞAONANOÞAO OO-HÞKI KOÞANO, nimbate half-length bust of Huvishka left, on mountain top, wearing mustache, and prominent wart on cheek, round helmet with pointed jeweled earflap, forehead medallion, crest ornament, and circular side ornament, diadem with triangular tie and ladder-like ribbons over both shoulders, kaftan open at top and bottom, clasped at chest, with rolled lapels and ornamented with jewels, worn over collared tunic, transverse filleted scepter in left hand over shoulder / AP???ÞO, Ardoxsho standing facing, turned right, head right with buns at crown and back, heavy ankle-length shawl wrapped around waist with end folds draping to right from left arm, worn over long-sleeved under-garment that falls in folds to the ground, cornucopia upright in both hands; tamgha with crossbar before, dotted border. ANS Kushan 749 or 751. Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XVIII (6 January 2015), lot 282.
To read the complete item description, see:
Kadambas of Goa. Shivachitta Vajradeva gold Pagoda (Stater) ND (1193-1202) MS62 ANACS, cf. Zeno-272992 (later date), Mitch-Unl. Lion to left; uncertain cyclic year date in front // Five line legend citing Sivachitta. A ruler not listed in major sources, and seldom handled. An incredibly well preserved example of this endearing type. Part of the Kadamba Dynasty ruling over regions in southern India, the Kadambas of Goa were in power for nearly four centuries. The family of hereditary governors were primarily feudatories of the Chalukyas, but acted as vassals for the Hoysalas and Yadavas in later years before establishing a Goan kingdom.
To read the complete item description, see:
Sultans of Juanpur. Nasir al-Din Mahmud gold Tanka ND (AH 844-861 / AD 1440-1457) MS62 NGC, G&G-J10. Never before handled by our firm. Bested by just three examples on the NGC Census, this glowing near-Choice emission is among the highest preserved available.
To read the complete item description, see:
Mysore. Tipu Sultan 2 Rupees AH 1199 Year 3 (1787/1788) MS62 PCGS, KM127, Mitch-991 (Patan mint). Bold calligraphy captivates the viewer, presenting nearly as struck centuries ago. Dark indigo and chocolate hues melt across these Mint State devices. Ex. Heritage Auction 3030 (January 2014, Lot 24512)
To read the complete item description, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: Subscribe All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
|