stephen album rare coins ♦ specialists in islamic, indian, & Oriental cOins ♦ Online Catalog: www.stevealbum.com auction staff Stephen Album ............................... Numismatist ....................................................steve@stevealbum.com Joseph Lang ..................................... Numismatist .................................................... [email protected] Paul Montz ........................................ Numismatist ....................................................paul@stevealbum.com Dr. Norman D. Nicol ....................... Numismatist ....................................................ndnicol@epix.net Michael Barry ................................... Numismatist/Photography [email protected] Brian Henderson ............................. Photography ...................................................brian@stevealbum.com Jocelyn McCord ............................... Accounting ......................................................jocelyn@stevealbum.com Kate Polacci ...................................... Shipping/Receiving [email protected] Danica Rodarmel ............................ Numismatic Conservation Natalie Fry ......................................... Graphic Design auction presented by Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc. PO Box 7386 Santa Rosa, CA 95407 USA Telephone 707-539-2120 www.stevealbum.com Member: IAPN, ANA, ANS, ONS, RNS, CSNA, AVA, MCS Bonded California Auctioneers bidding methods Email your bids to [email protected] Bid On Our Website by logging in with your customer number. Contact us if you do not have a customer number. Mail your bids to Stephen Album Rare Coins, PO Box 7386, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 Bid Live on the days of the auction. See Live Internet Bidding section below. Fax your bids to 1-707-539-3348 Telephone Bids by prior arrangement only. Please contact us at 707-539-2120 before Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 to become registered for telephone bidding. Buyer’s Premium 18% NOTE: If the purchaser pays by cash or “cash equivalent” then the buyer’s premium will be discounted to 15% buyer’s premium. “Cash equivalent” is defined as paying by cash, cashier’s check, money order, approved personal check or wire transfer. live internet bidding You will be able to bid ‘live’ in our Auction 16 to secure those desired lots! In order to bid live in the auction you must register on icollector.com (see below). Please be sure to register a few days before the auction begins in the event that you have difficulties with the registration process. Once you have registered you will be able to bid live online on the days of the auction by going to the link below. Register At: http://www.icollector.com/Stephen-Album-Rare-Coins_ae1668 There is no additional charge to bid online. Please telephone us at 707-539-2120 for assistance with registering to bid live or pre-bid for Auction 16, or send an email to [email protected]. auctiOn 16 may 17-18, 2013 auction number 16 Ancient Coins | 1-62 Parthian..................................................17-25 Friday, May 17, 2013 Sasanian.................................................26-40 Session A Islamic Dynasties | 63-303, 382-801 09:00 PDT Lots 1 – 440 Arab-Sasanian........................................63-84 Umayyad & Abbasid...........................94-186 [Break 13:00-14:00 PDT] Spain & North Africa...........................187-204 Session B Egypt & Syria......................................... 205-262 14:00 PDT Lots 441– 861 Arabian Peninsula............................... 263-285 Anatolian Peninsula........................... 286-303 Saturday, May 18, 2013 Mongol Dynasties............................... 485-616 Session C Timurid & Later..................................... 648-685 09:00 PDT Lots 862 – 1323 Shahs of Iran......................................... 686-739 Afghan Dynasties.................................751-789 [Break 14:00-15:00 PDT] Civic Coppers........................................ 790-801 Session D Ottoman Empire | 304-381 15:00 PDT Lots 1324 – 1903 Early Ottoman...................................... 304-316 *All session and break times are estimated and are Later Ottoman...................................... 317-381 subject to fluctuation. Please plan accordingly. China | 802-861 Bidding can be followed live on iCollector.com Chinese Dynasties............................... 802-822 Modern China....................................... 823-831 Chinese Provincial............................... 832-861 India | 862-1323 Ancient India......................................... 862-908 online pre-bidding Medieval India...................................... 909-916 Sultanates.............................................. 917-969 You can bid online on our website by logging in with Mughal Empire.....................................970-1092 Princely States...................................... 1096-1216 your customer number. Please contact us if you do Colonial India........................................ 1217-1316 not have a customer number. Modern India........................................ 1317-1323 www.stevealbum.com Asia & Middle East | 1324-1671 Korea........................................................ 1419-1504 last minute bids Sarawak................................................... 1552-1580 Straits Settlements.............................. 1582-1641 On the days of auction, May 17-18, 2013, Africa | 1672-1705 please fax your bids to 707-539-3348 or email Egypt....................................................... 1679-1683 your bids to: [email protected] Morocco..................................................1691-1695 *NOTE: Bids sent after the auction has started Europe | 1706-1816 are not guaranteed to be accepted. England.................................................. 1714-1722 ♦High resolution images of most lots are Italian States......................................... 1760-1776 available on our website at: Americas | 1817-1880 Central American Republic............. 1830-1845 www.stevealbum.com Australia & Pacific | 1881-1902 Additional information on some lots can Australia................................................. 1881-1899 also be found at our website above. Worldwide Group Lot | 1903 OUR STAFF Stephen Album - Director of Islamic & Early Indian Numismatics Steve has been serving the numismatic community since 1960. In 1976 he began dealing nearly exclusively in Islamic and Indian coins. He has authored several books including a complete rewrite of Marsden's Numismata Orientalia Illustrata, a guide to Islamic and Oriental coins with values. In 1993 he published A Checklist of Islamic Coins, which now in its third edition is the standard for collectors of Islamic coins. Mr. Album is currently a senior fellow at the Worcester College, Oxford, England, and in this position has authored three of the ten volumes of the Sylloge of Islamic Coins in the Ashmolean (Museum) beginning in 1999. In May of 2004 the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in Germany honored Mr. Album with a philosophiae doctoris honoris causae, an honorary doctoral degree in philosophy. Steve is among the world's leading experts in Islamic and Indian coins. Joseph Lang - Director of East Asian & Later Indian Numismatics Joe is a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), as well as many other numismatic associations. He has been a full-time coin dealer in California since 1987 and was first based in San Diego. Mr. Lang has been a contributing editor to various editions of Krause publication's Standard Catalog of World Coins, German Coins, and World Paper Money for over a decade. He has also contributed to past editions of the Monetary Research Institute's Banker's Guide to Foreign Currency. Mr. Lang has specialized in world coins since 1989 with expertise in Chinese and other Asian cast coins and later machine struck Chinese coins. He is also one of the main catalogers on Imperial Mughal, Indian Princely States and Colonial Indian coinages. Paul Montz - Director of World Coins Paul joined the staff in January 2011. He attended UC Davis from 1975-80, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in Agricultural Science & Management and Agronomy, respectively. He began working in the numismatic field in the 1970's. In 1981, he founded Olde World Numismatics in Chico, CA, a business he ran for 30 years, focusing on A-Z world coins, before merging with Stephen Album Rare Coins. He has published price lists for many years and has been a fixture at major coin shows since the 1980's. Paul is a life member of the American Numismatic Association and is a member of other organizations. He has been a contributing editor for the Standard Catalog of World Coins since 1998. Dr. Norman Douglas Nicol - Numismatist / Cataloger Doug worked as Steve's assistant full-time from 1981 until 1999, after which he moved back to his home area of northeastern Pennsylvania. Doug began cataloging again for Stephen Album Rare Coins in 2006. Doug received a doctorate in Medieval Islamic History from the University of Washington (Seattle) in 1979 and during a subsequent post-doctoral stay in Egypt, co- authored a catalog of the coins and related items in the Egyptian National Library, Cairo (1982). During the years Doug worked for Steve in California, he researched and compiled his Corpus of Fatimid Coins, which was published in 2006. He has been a senior research fellow at Oxford University since 2001, having agreed to write five of the proposed ten volumes of the Sylloge of the Islamic Coins in the Ashmolean. Michael Barry - Numismatist / Office Manager Mike joined the company in June of 2008. Mike's background is in archaeological theory, having completed his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology & Archaeology at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2007. Prior to attending UC Santa Cruz Mike attended the local Santa Rosa Junior College, completing an AA in Anthropology as well as an AS in Natural Sciences in 2005. Jocelyn McCord - Accounting & Payroll Jocelyn joined the firm in 2007 and is responsible for the bookkeeping department. Jocelyn is in charge of all of our accounting and payroll tasks. She handles payments, overdue accounts, account inquiries, refunds for returns, and other financial aspects of the company. Brian Henderson - Photography Brian joined the company in July 2010. He is a fine art photographer and avid collector of obscure ephemera. He entered the art world via his interest in skateboarding, and has been involved in the skate scene for 25 years. Brian uses his expertise in photography to create our catalogs as well as employing his artfully mastered people skills in handling customer relations. Kate Polacci - Shipping & Receiving Kate started working for the company in June 2011. She is the manager for all of our outgoing and incoming shipments, as well as helping to process sales and other aspects of the production of our fixed-price and auction catalogs. Danica Rodarmel - Numismatic Conservation Danica joined the company in October of 2008. She is currently a student at the University of California at Berkeley where she is completing the second half of her undergraduate coursework in English. She hopes to pursue a career in writing creative nonfiction. She is our resident numismatic conservationist and is continually fine-tuning her knowledge of the nuances involved in coin restoration. DR. RUUD SCHÜTTENHELM (1942-2012) Ruud Schüttenhelm was born during the 2nd World War in the Frisian village Scharsterbrug on April 11, 1942, where his parents temporarily resided. After the war they moved back to the province of Holland. Ruud was the eldest son of the family and grew-up in Wassenaar and later moved to Bussum. As a young boy he developed a love for nature and environment as well as a sharp eye for bird watching. Also during his later years he would hardly travel without taking a book on birds and a pair of binoculars with him. During high school he developed a keen interest in history, which he seemingly effortlessly mastered. It’s also from that time that his interest in numismatics blossomed, initially with Roman, but also Indo-Greek coins. His historical interest continued during his study of geology at the University of Utrecht. Despite the limited funds as a student he continued to look for coins to satisfy his historical interest. In the early seventies on one of his regular visits to the legendary coin shop of Jacques Schulman on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, Ruud bought his first Mongol coin. This aroused his interest more than anything else. Fascinated by its design and historical background of this less documented series, he soon could expand his collection at an auction by Dr. Busso Peus in Frankfurt (D). He prepared a want list as well as a list of secondary choices. Jacques Schulman took care of it and after the auction it proved that not only the coins of the initial want list were obtained but also the coins of the list with the secondary choices, all within the budget he had put aside for the initial want list. From that moment his passion for the series of Mongol coinage, and the culture and history of Central Asia, blossomed. One of his favorite books was Babur the Tiger: First of the Great Mughals, by Harold Lamb. In a period of well over 40 years a remarkable coherent collection of Mongol and related dynasties has been built- up, comprising of almost 2500 coins in gold, silver and base metal, covering much of Central Asia and present Iran. Multiple countermarks are regularly found on the coins of the Timurids, which provides much information about the period that these coins were in circulation and also about the geographic spread of their use. These countermarked coins received his particular attention and are well represented in his collection. Coins were for him also a pleasant way to find relaxation and he was seemingly gratified when he was able to decipher a previously unclear inscription. For his professional work as a geologist he was employed with the German Texaco, the Dutch Geological Survey in Haarlem and T.N.O. (Scientific Research and Advisory Institute) in Utrecht. For his work he traveled quite often and even sailed the high seas when he was engaged in geological research of the ocean floor. As a doctoral advisor at the University of Utrecht he also assisted students with their doctoral studies. Those who were acquainted with Ruud, will agree that he was a very friendly gentleman, erudite, an enthusiast and always helpful. His love for collecting, however, didn’t restrict to numismatics only, but a wide range of subjects attracted his interest. Every trip abroad or holiday in France would often lead him to antiquarian bookshops and markets and the acquisition of various books, catalogs, prints, itineraries, etc. were the result. His thirst for knowledge seems to have never been satiated and anything once read would be concealed in his excellent memory. The accumulation of books brought his wife Anna Marie to a short-lived ultimatum for ‘one book in – one book out’. This strategy did not work as it made him much too sad to adhere to such limitations. Ruud could neither resist the temptation, when out in the countryside with his grandchildren, to collect, as an amateur archeologist, various fragments of medieval pottery. Everything would be cleaned and stored in boxes and crates for “later, when I have time.” Unfortunately this time was not given to him. He passed away on October 7, 2012, due to an extremely aggressive and incurable form of cancer that took him away in the course of only a few months. Ruud is survived by his wife Anna Marie, two sons and two grandchildren. Part of his legacy and most dearest, the collection of Mongol and related coins, will at his own request be auctioned and sold by Stephen Album Rare Coins, from whom many of these coins have also originated. Ancient Coins Session A Begins May 17, 2013 at 09:00 PDT Ancient Coins 5. MACEDONIA: Alexander III, 336-323 BC, AR tetradrachm (16.64g), ND, head of young Herakles right, clad in lion’s skin / Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle & sceptre, posthumous issue in the Danubian region, very broad flan, ca. 2nd century BC, VF-EF $200 - 300 1. CELTIC BRITAIN: Cunobelin, ca. AD 41, AV stater (5.39g), Catuvellauni & Trinovantes, S-283, Van Arsdell-1933, CA-MV, grain ear / CVN-O, celticized horse galloping right; branch above, VF $1,700 - 1,900 The son of Tasciovanus, Cunobelin became the most powerful tribal ruler in northern Europe after seizing control of Camulodunum in about AD 10. Most of his coins carry both his name and that of his capital, which under his command expanded from a large hillfort or oppidum into an international trade center covering ten square miles. A similar example sold in Heritage 6. MACEDONIA: Phillip II, 359-336 BC, AR tetradrachm Auction 3016 lot 23013 in 2012 for $3,250. (14.37g), S-6680 ff, head of Zeus right / horseman right, Amphipolis mint, A below horse, lovely strike, especially on the obverse, lovely bold VF, R $1,000 - 1,200 7. BOEOTIA: Anonymous, ca. 525-480 BC, AR drachm (5.67g), 2. CELTIC CENTRAL EUROPE & ASIA MINOR: Danubian Celts, Thebes, S-1779, SNG-Cop 243, Boeotian shield / square ca. 3rd-2nd Century BC, AR tetradrachm, imitating tetradrachms incuse with a mill sail pattern, VG-F, RR $300 - 400 of Phillip II of Macedon, extremely abstracted head of Apollo Thebes is a city in Boeotia, central Greece. It played an facing right / stylized horse galloping left, EF $75 - 100 important role in Greek mythology, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, and Dionysus. 8. DIOSKOURIAS: Anonymous, ca. 2nd-1st Century BC, AE unit (1.45g), S-3629, caps of the Dioskouroi, each surmounted by a star / thrysos, text D IO S K O U RI A D O S in 3 lines across, 3. BRUTTIUM: Anonymous, 282-203 BC, AE sextans VF, R $100 - 150 (16.52g), Grose-1517, Ares in Corinthian helmet left / Dioskourias is located within the area of present day Bellona advancing right, holding large oval shield, Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region thunderbold to right, lovely patina, F-VF $150 - 250 on the Black Sea coast and formally part of the Republic of Georgia. 9. IONIA: Anonymous, ca. 540-478 BC, AR hemiobol (1.26g), Teos, SNG-Cop 1441, griffin with curled wings seated right / quadripartite incuse square, VF $100 - 150 4. SYRACUSE: Hieron II, 275-215 BC, AE 27 (17.85g), S-1222, diademed head of Hieron left, beardless / horseman prancing right, holding spear, beneath A R monogram, scratched in the field, mainly on reverse, lovely patination, VF $100 - 150 10. LYCIA: Uncertain Dynasty, ca. 500-460 BC, AR stater (9.92g), SNG von Aulock-4089, round shield depicting curled wing Pegasus flying left / triskeles, without pellet or monogram, wonderfully centered obverse, nicely displaying most of the shields rim, choice EF $1,000 - 1,500 1 Stephen Album Rare Coins | Auction 16 | May 17-18, 2013 Ancient Near East 16. HIMYARITE: ‘Amdan Bayyin, 1-2nd Century AD, AR ½ denarius (1.19g), Raydan mint, with monogram MWO (mawa?) in obverse 11. SIDE: Anonymous, 2nd-1st century BC, AR tetradrachm field, appears unpublished, possibly very rare, EF, RR $225 - 275 (15.93g), S-5436, head of Athena r., wearing crested Corinthian helmet / Nike advancing left, holding wreath, pomegranate in field, K L E U C below, VF $200 - 300 17. PARTHIAN: Mithradates III, c. 57-54 BC, AE tetrachalkous (2.49g), Sell-41.20, diademed bust left, star behind / elephant right, lovely strike without a trace of weakness, VF-EF $150 - 200 12. SELEUKEIA: Aniochus VII Euergetes, 138-129 BC, AR tetradrachm (16.54g), ND, S-7092, diademed head r. / Athena standing l., holding Nike, spead & shield, some scratches on obverse, lovely portrait, VF-EF $200 - 300 18. PARTHIAN: Orodes II, c. 57-38 BC, AE tetrachalkous (3.26g), Ekbatana, Sell-43.13, diademed narrow bust left, short beard / Pegasus right, complete inscription around, lovely strike, strong VF $125 - 175 19. PARTHIAN: Orodes II, c. 57-38 BC, AE dichalkous? (1.48g), Sell-45.40, diademed broad bust left, short beard / fort with 2 13. SELEUKEIA: Alexander I (Balas), 150-145 BC, small & 2 tall towers, very light porosity, VF $100 - 120 AR tetradrachm (13.28g), Tyre, Sel-164 (149/148 NC), S-7033, diademed head r. / eagle standing l., some tooling in obverse field, VF $150 - 220 20. PARTHIAN: Orodes II, c. 57-38 BC, AR tetradrachm (14.96g), Shore-209, bear-headed bust left, short beard / king seated right on throne, Tyche kneeling left, holding sceptre, extending 14. SELEUKEIA: Seleukos II Kallinikos, 246-226 BC, arms to one another, monograph #45, lovely bold VF $350 - 450 AR tetradrachm (17.05g), North Mesopotamian Mint, SC-724.6, SNG Spaer -, diademed head of Seleukos II, dotted border / BAS IL EW S S E L EYKOY, Apollo standing left, holding arrow and resting elbow on tripod, monogram in left field, VF $225 - 300 21. PARTHIAN: Artabanos II, AD 10-38, AE chalkous (1.32g), [Ekbatana], Sell-45.40, bust left / king on horseback left, wearing diadem, all within beaded circle, superb strike, VF $140 - 160 15. PHOENICIA: Uncertain king, ca. 348/7-339/8 BC, AR stater, Arados, S-5968, BMC-7, Betlyon-26, laureate head of Ba’al-Arwad right / galley right, Pataikos on prow, above waves; Aramaic M A ‘ above (written right to left), good strike for type $350 - 450 22. PARTHIAN: Vardanes I, AD 40-57, AR tetradrachm (11.50g), Seleukia, Sel-353 (41AD), Shore-350 ff, bust left, with royal wart / Tyche handing palm branch to seated king, F-VF $120 - 160 2 Ancient Coins 23. PARTHIAN: Artabanos IV, AD 216-224, AE chalkous (1.06g), [Ekbatana], Sell-89.6, diademed bust left, with tiara crown and round crest above / horned sheep galloping left, VF-EF $120 - 160 24. PARTHIAN: LOT of 4 silver drachms, Mithradates II (123-88 BC), type Sh-69, vf, and Sh-96, avf, Gotarzes I (95-87 BC), type Sh-111, vf-ef, and Orodes II (57-38 BC), as type Sh-255 but with symbol #27, choice vf, lot of 4 pieces $200 - 250 31. SASANIAN: Peroz, 457-484, AR drachm (3.53g), NM, ND, 25. PARTHIAN: LOT of 5 silver drachms, Phraates IV (38-2 BC), G-169/171, Tokharistan imitation for use along the silk one vf, the other f-vf, Gotarzes II (40-51), choice vf, Vologases road, strange “blob” design before king’s head, no IV (147-191), corroded vf, and Osroes II (ca. 190), choice vf, inscriptions, VF-EF, RR $75 - 100 lot of 5 pieces $140 - 180 32. SASANIAN: Peroz, 457-484, AV stater (4.36g), G-172var, king’s bust, winged crown, completely blundered text left & right / two attendants around fire altar, unknown symbols left and right, 26. SASANIAN: Ardashir I, 224-241, BI tetradrachm (12.15g), G-7, contemporary imitation, probably from the central silk type derived from last Parthian tetradrachm of Seleukia, lovely road area that lies between what is now northern Afghanistan bold strike, choice VF-EF $350 - 450 and Xinjiang province of China, choice EF, RR $2,000 - 2,500 Note that the top of the attendants’ headgear has become a separate pellet outside the beaded border around the reverse. 33. SASANIAN: Kavad I, 2nd reign, 499-531, AE pashiz (0.57g), ST (Istakhr), year 11, G-188, type 2 style, lovely 27. SASANIAN: Varahran II, 276-293, AR drachm (3.73g), strike with full even margins, good Fine, RR $200 - 300 G-68, son handing a diadem with very short ribbons to his parents, nice strike, much scratching on obverse, VF $100 - 150 34. SASANIAN: Khusro I, 531-579, AR drachm (4.04g), “PR” 28. SASANIAN: Narseh, 293-303, AR drachm (3.68g), G-76, (Furat), year “9", G-—, a very interesting contemporary second type, 3 branches above the base of the crown, imitation, with the bust facing left, and all the obverse text couple small scratches, attractive VF $150 - 200 retrograde, the reverse text correct, VF, RRR $425 - 475 This piece was published by F.D.J. Paruck in 1924, from the collection of the Russian General Bartholomaei, who died in 1870. The plates were published in some obscure location by Dorn in 1873, without the text. Both the text and drawings were published by Paruck, and this piece appears on table 23, item #16, and seems to have been struck from the same or very similar dies. This is undoubtedly some type of local imitation, probably from the Caucasus region, given that it was in a collection assembled in Russia in the mid-19th century. Unfortunately, no references to the provenance of 29. SASANIAN: Hormizd II, 303-309, AR drachm, G-83, nice these pieces have been preserved, and we have made no style, common type with reverse design filling the field, EF$75 - 100 attempt to search potentially relevant post-1924 publications. Furat is located north of Basra in Iraq. 35. SASANIAN: Khusraw II, 591-628, AE pashiz (0.85g), NM, ND, G-216var, unread word to right of bust on obverse, no trace of inscriptions for date or mint, stylized type that was most likely struck after Khusraw’s death in 628, perhaps 30. SASANIAN: Yazdigerd II, 438-457, AR drachm (4.09g), WH officially or privately under Arab rule in the 640s or (Veh-Ardashir), G-160, cf. SNS-19, attendants hold long spears, somewhat later, type appears unpublished, Fine, RR $75 - 100 very broad margins, bold strike, choice EF $150 - 200 3 Stephen Album Rare Coins | Auction 16 | May 17-18, 2013 Ancient Africa 36. SASANIAN: Kavad II, 628, AR drachm (4.15g), AHM 41. PTOLEMAIS: Ptolemy IX, 116-106 & 88-80 BC, AR tetradrachm (Hamadan), year 2, G-223, bold strike, choice EF, R $900 - 1,100 (14.13g), Paphos, year 8 (=109/8 BC), S-7921/22, diademed head right / eagle standing left, minor adhesion spot on reverse, bold VF $125 - 200 42. CARTHAGE: Anonymous, ca. 230-220 BC, AR tridrachm (8.21g), 37. SASANIAN: Ardashir III, 628-630, AR drachm (4.16g), S-6497, head of Tanit left, wreathed with corn / horse standing, WYHC (the Treasury), year 1, G-225, first type, without looking back, right foreleg raised, debased silver, VF $300 - 400 wings on the crown, bold strike, minor adhesions, only in obverse margin, EF, R $200 - 260 43. AXUM: Anonymous, ca. 330-350, AE unit (0.78g), M&J-52, bust right / cross in center, text in the surrounding margin, attractive VF $120 - 160 38. SASANIAN: Yazdigerd III, 632-651, AR drachm (3.64g), MY (Mishan), year 20, G-235, Tyler-Smith-163/164, 44. AXUM: Ebana, ca. 450, AV unit (1.59g), ND, M&J-73, attractive strike, VF, RRR $450 - 550 blundered inscription, die-linked to issues with legible name Mishan, located in southern Iraq, had been conquered by the of Ebana; small edge nick, VF-EF, R $500 - 700 Arabs more than a decade before the regnal year 20 of Yazdigerd III (651 AD), and would not have officially struck Roman & Byzantine Coinage Sasanian coins in that year. Thus this piece is either a local imiative issue, or the mint “MY” mint was no longer located at Mishan. The “Y” of the mint name is slightly curved to the lower right, and is conceivably a somewhat coarsely engraved “L” or “R”. The letters “MR” applied to the city of Marw on both Sasanian and early Arab-Sasanian drachms (the latter dated YE20, 22 and 23). I would suggest that the actual mint was Marw, where the Arab armies captured and executed Yazdigerd in his 20th regnal year. 45. ROMAN EMPIRE: Tiberius, 14-37 AD, AR denarius, the “tribute 39. SASANIAN: LOT of 2 silver drachms, Varahran IV (420-438, penny” (3.78g), Lugdunum, RIC-28, RSC-16b, TI CAESAR DIVI ST or AT mint, vf-ef) and Ardashir III (628-630, AYRAN mint, AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head right / PONTIF MAXIM, Livia vf, large nick in reverse center), lot of 2 pieces $150 - 200 (as Pax) seated right, holding olive-branch and inverted spear; AYRAN is regarded as the city of Hulwan in west-central chair legs ornamented, triple line below, F-VF $350 - 400 Iran, on the old highway from Baghdad to Rayy. The “tribute penny ” is popularized as the coin to which 40. SASANIAN & RELATED: LOT of 5 miscellaneous coins, Jesus referred in Mark 12:17 “render unto Caesar that Sasanian, Shahpur I (AE pashiz, Göbl-27, crude F-VF), which is Caesar’s, and to God that which is God’s.” Yazdigerd I (AR drachm, G-149, F-VF), and Peroz (AR drachm, blundered mint, G-176 but probably contemporary eastern imitation, VF-EF), also Tabaristan (A-63, Sulayman, dated PYE137, EF, and A-73, Anonymous “afzut”, also dated PYE137, EF), lot of 5 pieces $150 - 200 46. ROMAN EMPIRE: Galba, 68-69 AD, AE sestersius (23.64g), S-2118, SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG TR P, laureate bust right / LIBER(TAS) AUG S C, Libertas standing left, nice portrait, some tiny pits, partly tooled surfaces, F-VF $400 - 600 4 Ancient Coins 47. ROMAN EMPIRE: Trajan, 98-117 AD, AR tetradrachm 52. ROMAN EMPIRE: Philip I, 244-249 AD, AR tetradrachm, (14.99g), Tyre, Phoenicia, Prieur-1465, laureate head of Antioch, Syria, Prieur-304, CP-317, laureated, draped and Trajan right, supported by eagle standing right; to right, cuirassed bust right seen from behind / eagle standing left, club facing downward / laureate head of Melqart right, with wreath in beak, SCwithin eagles wings, strike 5/5, surface lion’s skin draped around neck, bold strike, EF $250 - 350 5/5, fine style, NGC graded choice AU star designation $350 - 450 48. ROMAN EMPIRE: Hadrian, 117-138 AD, BI tetradrachm, 53. ROMAN EMPIRE: Phillip II, 247-249 AD, AR tetradrachm, Aegeae in Cilicia, Prieur-721, struck AD 133/4, laureate, Antioch, Syria, Prieur-411, CP-831, laureated, draped and draped, and cuirassed bust of Hadrian right / eagle with cuirassed bust right seen from behind / eagle standing left, spread wings standing facing on harpe, head left, tiny goat wreath in beak, SC in exergue, strike 5/5, surface 5/5, kneeling right in exergue, VF, RR $150 - 250 NGC graded Mint State $350 - 450 54. ROMAN EMPIRE: Trajan Decius, 249-251 AD, AR tetradrachm, Antioch, Syria, Prieur-538, CP-1517, 49. ROMAN EMPIRE: Hadrian, 117-138 AD, AE sestersius laureated, draped and cuirassed bust right seen from (24.13g), S-3621, IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS behind; two pellets below bust / eagle standing left on AVG, laureate head left / PONT MAX TR POT COS III S C, palm, wreath in beak, SC in exergue, strike 5/5, Jupiter seated l., holding Victory and sceptre, couple nicks surface 4/5, NGC graded Mint State $350 - 450 on reverse, lovely portrait, VF $150 - 250 55. ROMAN EMPIRE: Valens, 364-378 AD, AV solidus (4.47g), Antioch, RIC-15c/15d, D N VALENS - PER F AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust r., Rv. GLORIA - R (ChiRho) O - MANORVM, Roma and Constantinople seated front, holding sceptres and supporting a shield inscribed 50. ROMAN EMPIRE: Hadrian, 117-138 AD, AE sestersius VOT / X / MVL / XX; ANOB in exergue, Choice EF $1,200 - 1,400 (24.93g), S-3621, IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG, laureate head left / PONT MAX TR POT COS III S C, A very similar example sold in ArtCoins Roma Auction 6 lot Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and cornucopiae, number 1247 in 2012 for €1480. lovely portrait, VF $150 - 250 56. ROMAN EMPIRE: Leo I, 457-474 AD, AV solidus (4.39g), Constantinople mint, RIC-605, DN LEO PERPET AVC, diademed, helmeted and cuirassed 3/4 facing bust, spear 51. ROMAN EMPIRE: Philip I, 244-249 AD, AR tetradrachm, over shoulder / VICTORIA AVCCC I, Victory standing left Antioch, Syria, Prieur-310, laureated, draped and with long cross, star in right field, CONOB in ex, EF $750 - 850 cuirassed bust right seen from behind / eagle standing left, wreath in beak, SC within eagles wings, strike 5/5, surface 5/5, fine style, NGC graded choice Mint State $350 - 450 5