Sale: Triton VII, Lot: 391. Estimate $750.  Closing Date: Monday, 12 January 2004.  Sold For $1500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of PARTHIA. Arsakes I. 238-211 BC. AR Drachm (3.77 gm). Asaac(?) mint. Head left wearing bashlik / ARSAKOU, Arsakes I seated right on backless throne, holding bow; A below bow. Sellwood 4.1/5.1 (obv./rev.); cf. A&S Type 5 (obverse die of Type 3, 3/3; unrecorded reverse die); Shore -; Alram -; MACW -. Good VF, slightly weak obverse strike, reverse die break. Unrecorded mule. ($750)

The Sellwood S5 drachms, formerly attributed to Arsakes II, can now be added to the S1-4 drachms because of the extensive “muling” of their reverse dies with the obverses of the S3 and S4 drachms (as the present specimen; cf. The Gombaj Bujnurd Hoard (A&S)). The differences in the fabric and style of S5 and S3-S4 drachms and the presence of the monogram A, probably for the city of Asaac (mentioned by Isodore of Charax), strongly suggests that they are the products of at least two different mints.

The Gombaj Bujnurd Hoard contained two drachms of A&S Type 5 with obverses from dies of A&S Type 4, but no obverse dies of A&S Type 3.