Finest Known Apollodotos Tetradrachm

Sale: Triton XIII, Lot: 255. Estimate $50000.  Closing Date: Monday, 4 January 2010.  Sold For $32500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Apollodotos I. Circa 174-165 BC. AR Tetradrachm (16.93 g, 12h). Diademed and draped elderly bust right, wearing kausia; all within bead-and-reel border / BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY, Athena seated left, holding Nike in extended right hand, spear in left, resting her left elbow on shield; monogram in exergue. Bopearachchi 1A = C.Y. Petitot-Biehler, "Trésor d'Aï Khanoum," RN 1975, p. 37 and pl. V, 50 = Spink 165, lot 144; Bopearachchi & Rahman 193 (same dies) and 194 (same rev. die); SNG ANS -; Triton VIII, lot 642 (same dies); Triton VII, lot 696 (same obv. die). EF, minute traces of encrustation on edge. Struck in high relief with fresh dies on a flan of extraordinarily good metal. Extremely rare, the sixth and finest known.

This extremely rare issue of Apollodotos, comprising fewer than 10 known specimens, was struck from two obverse and two reverse dies. The present example is significantly better than the previously known specimens.

Apollodotos I (alternate dates circa 174-165 BC) ruled the southern territories of the Baktrian kingdom as either an associate or subordinate of Antimachos I. Almost all of his coinage was bilingual and of non-portrait types: an elephant and bull on his silver drachms and hemidrachms, and Apollo and tripod on his bronze coins. Only his tetradrachms bear his portrait.