Sale: Nomos 1, Lot: 150. Estimate CHF5000.  Closing Date: Tuesday, 5 May 2009.  Sold For CHF4250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Trajan. 98-117. Sestertius (Orichalcum, 22.00 g 6), 116. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P Laureate and draped bust of Trajan to right Rev. REX PARTHIS DATVS / S C Trajan, with officer standing behind him, seated left on platform, placing diadem on the head of Parthamaspates, standing left on the ground before him, who raises his right hand in salutation to a figure of Parthia, kneeling right before him. BMC 1046. Cohen 328. Hill 735. RIC 667. A beautifully detailed and historically important coin. Attractive dark green patina, good extremely fine.

The previous coin showed Trajan leaving Antioch with the army to continue his campaign against Parthia. Here we see the result: in 116 he deposed the Parthian king Osroes I and replaced him with the pro-Roman Parthamaspates in the scene shown on this coin. After Trajan’s death Parthamaspates was himself deposed by Osroes and fled to the Romans, who established him as their client-king of Osroene, where he lasted until 123.