Siglos Xerxes II to Artaxerxes II Engraved Reverse Die

PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. temp. Xerxes II to Artaxerxes II. Circa 420-375 BC. AR Siglos (15mm, 5.45 g). Sardes or subsidiary mint.
O: Persian king or hero, wearing kidaris and kandys, quiver over shoulder, in kneeling-running stance right, holding dagger in right hand, bow in left
R: Incuse punch with small ivy leaf or spear head.
- Carradice Type IV B; BMC Arabia pl. XXVII, 10 var. (no symbol on rev.); I. Carradice, “The Dinar Hoard of Persian Sigloi” in Studies Price, Rev. Die 58, 264 (same dies).

In his description of the Persian coinage in the Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage (Oxford, 2012), M. Alram notes (p. 69) that “in the earliest phase of type IV sigloi small images, engraved into the original die, are sometimes included in the reverse punches.” What is interesting about the current coin is that it is from Group B of type IV, a fact confirmed by Carradice’s placement of this issue in the Dinar Hoard under the “middle” groups of type IV (interestingly, Carradice failed to note the presence of the symbol on this die). Thus, Alram’s statement must be expanded to include issues beyond the earliest of type IV sigloi. - CNG