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Author Topic: More Parthians  (Read 2404 times)

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Offline Schatz

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More Parthians
« on: September 03, 2016, 04:13:38 pm »
Hello again, it's been a while.

After a long break I am resuming my coin postings. There will be mostly bronzes from Parthia, Eastern Parthia, Elymais, Central Asia, Characene,etc. It took me so long to get my courage up because shooting halfway acceptable pictures of bronzes, especially those from Parthia, is a frustrating job. After several attempts I simply gave up and will present what I have, though almost all Parthians look much better in hand than on my pics. I am sticking with the black background which somehow looks better than others, IMHO.

Here are the first 5 Parthians, all in some state of corrosion and stingy on detail:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130921
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130923
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130924
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130927
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130928

More to come,
Schatz


Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2016, 05:39:42 pm »
Schatz is back!  Good to see you getting started on the bronzes.  I think the pics look great.    +++

I'll be watching and enjoying the uploads.

Online quadrans

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2016, 06:35:14 pm »
Quote from: Robert L3 on September 03, 2016, 05:39:42 pm
Schatz is back!  Good to see you getting started on the bronzes.  I think the pics look great.    +++

I'll be watching and enjoying the uploads.

Agree  + 1   +++

 Q.
All the Best :), Joe
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Offline Schatz

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Re: More Parthian Bronzes
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2016, 12:48:45 pm »
Hi Robert and quadrans,

for giving me the thumbs up. The pics are very dark, but so are the coins, after all, they are from the Parthian Dark Age. I tried an off-white background but that did not really make a difference. Once we get to the Eastern Parthians and the Elymaians things will be different. Those bronzes are much better preserved and easy tho shoot.

All the same, here are some more Parthians:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130972 (a Shore plate
          coin)
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130971
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130974
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130973
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130975
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130976

Try to enjoy!
Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2016, 02:51:07 pm »
Hi Schatz,

All "dark Age" :) coin are enjoyable.... ;) +++

 Regards
 Q.
All the Best :), Joe
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Offline museumguy

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2016, 07:41:48 am »
Hi Schatz!

Let me echo Bob and Quadrans sentiment that it is great to have you back on the boards!  Some of your coins, as you say, are a bit rough but beautiful nonetheless.  Some interesting iconography.  Thanks so much for sharing and don't be a stranger.  By the way I noted that a couple of your coins were purchased at the Vienna coin show which I assume was before that venue closed down for renovations?  Or have they re-opened!!

Steve S.

Offline Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2016, 08:42:08 am »
Hi there, museumguy,

good, to hear from you, too. I don't think the Vienna Coin Show has resumed its old location in the Vienna Community Center yet. At least I have not had any show notifications, but they may have messed up their files with all that moving around. The best will probably be to drive by the Center and ask.

Schatz

Offline Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #7 on: March 01, 2021, 01:17:12 pm »
Hello out there,

it has been a while that I put up some new coins in my gallery.  Now, after I finally completed the section ‘My Parthian Tetradrachms’ in the gallery and displayed my plate coins I have come to terms with my long overdue new computer and the editing software.  There are a number of new coins, and several older ones I never bothered to post, with, at least in my opinion, better pictures that will appear in the following weeks.

To start off, here are three Elymaian coins, two early drachms, and one tetradrachm.  The earliest one is a somewhat mysterious silver drachm of an early Kamnaskires -for lack of better options we will call it a Kamnaskires II.  The confusion is caused by two Greek letters in exergue, HΣ, whose placement suggest a date (SE 208 = 105/4 BC) which does not fit the dates of the first three Kamnaskires.  What else could they mean?
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168534;

The second drachm is a well known early portrait of Kamnaskires IV.:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168537;

the last one is a beautiful tdr of Kamnaskires III. and his wife Anzaze, this specimen without countermark and with the epithet ‘MAKEΔΩN’ on the reverse:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168539.

Take very good care of yourselves,

Schatz


Offline Carausius

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2021, 03:04:39 pm »
An amazing gallery and wonderful resource!

Offline Serendipity

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #9 on: March 01, 2021, 07:15:53 pm »
Yes, an amazing gallery of coins. Ancient coins have been described as portable miniature works of art which look much better in hand than in pics. I don’t think the ancients had photography in mind when they minted coins. Van Gogh's Sunflowers always looks much better whenever you see the painting in the National Gallery, London, than in prints. Ancient coins are something like that.

Offline Stkp

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2021, 08:08:45 pm »
It is a fantastic gallery. Stkp

Offline Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #11 on: March 02, 2021, 08:05:15 am »
Thanks, Carausius,  Roger B, and Stkp, for you kind words.  Roger B is absolutely right about the appearance of coins in photos.  Try as much as you please, the coin will always look better in hand.

Schatz

Offline Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2021, 05:36:14 pm »
Hello again out there,

this time 3 Parthians, one tetradrachm and two drachms.  The earliest is the drachm of the period  when 2 rulers split the time between 185 BC and 132 BC - it is believed that Phriapatios, about whom next to nothing is known, led Parthia until 165 after which Mithradates I. took over:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168879

Here a typical Mithradates I. tdr with a decent obverse and a reverse with a monogram in the left field:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168880


The third new coin is a rare Orodes II. drachm, probably minted in Seistan, the Eastern border of the empire.  The usual Parthian coin reference books do not document it.  I have seen two other specimen so far:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-168881

That’s it for today,
Schatz

Offline *Alex

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2021, 06:09:28 pm »
Great coins Schatz, I particularly like the Mithridates.

Alex

Offline Kamnaskires

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #14 on: March 13, 2021, 08:16:15 pm »
Seistan? Really? Wow, Schatz, I don't know where you find your coins - you really have amazing sources. You manage to snag such great rarities - and also high-end examples of the more common issues. Great additions here, as always. Congrats.

Offline Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #15 on: March 14, 2021, 05:05:41 pm »
Thanks, Alex, for the thumbs up.
Bob, R. Senior thinks the Orodes II. drachms that have ϴΕOΠAT(O)POC as the inner left line of the reverse and carry the unidentified mint mark were produced in Seistan. Who am I to argue?!  As to the others, a landmark birthday and  wedding anniversary are very helpful.

Best to all,
Schatz

Offline Enodia

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #16 on: March 14, 2021, 05:10:13 pm »
A nice group, and I too really like the Mithrdates.

~ Peter

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #17 on: March 16, 2021, 03:42:04 pm »
Wow, Great group again... +++ +++ +++

 Joe
All the Best :), Joe
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Offline Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #18 on: March 20, 2021, 01:43:30 pm »

Thanks, quadrans - here I have another group for you and everyone else who has the time to look at more Parthians:

Three more early Parthian drachms, probably all from Eastern mints.  I have had them sitting around for a while but thought they were unusual enough to be put in my gallery.

The first is a portrait of the young ruler, somewhat smudged, but with a well executed reverse:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-169157

The second is a fourreé drachm, most likely a contemporary counterfeit or emergency currency:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-169158

and the last of the trio a well struck AR dr, probably from Mithradatkert, of excellent metal, also showing the portrait of a young king:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-169159.

A happy spring to all,
Schatz

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Re: More Parthians
« Reply #19 on: April 02, 2021, 03:49:22 am »
Nice coins, congrats 👍

Joe/Q.
All the Best :), Joe
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