Sale: Triton VII, Lot: 626. Estimate $3000.  Closing Date: Monday, 12 January 2004.  Sold For $4500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SASANIAN KINGS of PERSIA. Shahpur III. 383-388 AD. AV Dinar (7.19 gm). Kabul mint. "Shahpur...." in Pahlavi (crude), crowned and cuirassed bust right / Degraded Pahlavi legend, fire altar without attendants. Cf. Göbl I/4; Paruck -; cf. Alram 830; MACW -; De Morgan -. Nice VF, small dig on reverse. Apparently unique. [See color enlargement on plate 8] ($3000)

Ex Numismatic Fine Arts 30 (8 December 1992), lot 160.

Confirming Göbl, Malek (in NumChron 1993) lists Shahpur III as having no gold issues (the four listed by Paruck are either Shahpur II or forgeries). The mint attribution is based on the close similarity of style to dinars of Shahpur II that Göbl assigned to Kabul (cf. Göbl, Kushan 1310).

As with many of the Sasanian kings in this period, very little is known of Shahpur III’s reign, other than that it saw a renewal of conflict with the Romans over control of Armenia. This event must have occured relative to the end of his reign, as the conflict was resolved by his successor, Bahram IV.