BACTRIA. Early Hellenistic Era. Anonymous Issue (ca. 3rd century BC). AR tetradrachm (23mm, 16.80 gm, 5h). NGC Choice XF 5/5 - 4/5. Attic standard. Uncertain mint in the Oxus region, ca. 261-238 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over brow guard and a spiral palmette on the bowl; ΗΥΩ monogram to left / AΘE, owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent above. Bopearachchi-Sophytes Serie 1A. Cf. HGC 12, 1 (no monogram). Beautiful cabinet toning throughout. From The Scottsdale Collection. Ex Mark Gibbons Collection (Harlan J. Berk, Buy or Bid Sale 221, 17 November 2022), lot 114; Roma Numismatics, XIX (26 March 2020), lot 623; 1960s Andragoras-Sophytes Group (1975). The Seleucid-era Greek settlement of Bactria may have been carried out under a general or satrap named Sophytes, whose and possible portrait name appear on a somewhat later series of coins. After the initial issue of Bactrian "owl" coinage a later group "owl" was struck on a somewhat reduced standard, with monograms and various symbols as control marks, of which this example is one of the finest surviving specimens. These are now provisionally ascribed to Sophytes. All of these early Bactrian pieces are rare, but a number have appeared on the market recently, reputedly from a 1960s-era find that resided for many years in Germany. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

To the auctioneer's website