105, Lot: 83. Estimate $100. Sold for $215. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator. 312-280 BC. AR Hemidrachm (10mm, 1.13 gm, 6h). Bactrian mint. Circa 290/86-281 BC. Laureate head of Zeus right / Upturned anchor; control mark removed from field. Cf. Kritt, Bactria, pl. V, X and Z; cf. SC 256 (horned horse's head) and 282 (elephant); cf. ESM 752 and 667 (same). VF, rough. Possibly unique.

This coin, combining the head of Zeus with the Seleukid anchor, is apparently new, and there are no other denominations that combine both types. While the name is mostly illegible, an E can be discerned, thus securely identifying it as having the name of Seleukos. Houghton and Lorber's "uncertain mint 18" struck drachms with the horse head/anchor design, and although the coins were struck from loose dies, the common reverse could indicate that the present coin is from the same mint. However, without any controls visible on this hemidrachm, we must await the discovery of further specimens before we are likely to determine its nature.