Sale: Triton VII, Lot: 441. Estimate $300.  Closing Date: Monday, 12 January 2004.  Sold For $375. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of PARTHIA. Phraates III. 70/69 - 58/7 BC. AR Drachm (3.70 gm). Susa mint. Struck circa August/September 61 BC. Diademed bust left, wearing tiara / BASILEWS MEGALOU ARS-AKOU EUERGETU EPIFANOUS FILELLHN[OS], Arsakes I seated right on throne, holding bow; GP/S below bow. Sellwood 39.14; Shore 185; BMC Parthia pg. 49, 32; MACW -. Toned, good VF. Very rare issue. ($300)

Ex Khalili Collection (Leu 57, 25 May 1993), lot 159.

The resumption of Parthian issues after Phraates’ triumphant return from defeating Artabanos II in the east appears to have involved a limited silver emission at Susa, namely the S39.14-16 and S38.15-16 drachms with the composite monograms GP/S, DP/S, and BP/S, GP/S, respectively, on the reverse. These symbols have been differently interpreted by a number of numismatists as either Seleukid Era dates or letter combinations with literal rather than numeral significance. The uncommon and unprecedented disposition of these symbols, though, under the bow of the seated archer, normally reserved for mint monograms, led Sellwood to correctly suggest that by analogy with other monograms, the letter sigma stands for Susa while beta, gamma, and delta, may have a sequential value. Yet he conceded that the reason for the presence of the letter pi escaped him.

According to the arrangement of Susa bronze types, the S38 series undoubtedly follows S36. Considering that the latter began in 246 SEM (67/6 BC), the earliest date for the start of S38 would be 251 SEM (62/1 BC). This fact alone precludes the above composite symbols from being Seleucid Era dates because to place the beginning of S38 in 242 SEM would require S36 to start in 237 SEM (76/5 BC) and thus coincide with the first regnal year of Artabanus II in Babylon. Accepting the chronological significance of the first letter in these monograms, Dr. Assar concluded that the second and third letters may in fact stand for PROS SOUSOIS, which could be taken to imply “from” or even “emanating from” Susa. Perhaps, starting with the letter alpha and to mark the re-imposition of Parthian rule in Susa after Phraates’ absence in Parthia, the S39 variety was minted first for a few months, followed by S38 type before the resumption of the normal bronze types. In any case, the overall rarity of these drachms confirms their brief period of mintage as a special issue.