115, Lot: 131. Estimate $150. Sold for $130. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ARMENIA? 1st century AD. Æ 22mm (11.29 gm). TOICRILTOITLOICLIVOK (starting at 3:00), Armenian tiara; star behind, D before / [VIBI]BLVOOLCKOPLOKVPVOOD (starting at 12:00), horse standing right. AC 244; RPC I -; Saryan, NumCirc May 1991, pg. 112. VF, black patina. Rare.

From the Garth R. Drewry Collection.

Other than the clear Armenian references in the devices, there is no clue to the origin of these enigmatic pieces. The meaningless legends and the mixture of Greek and Latin letters (the R in place of P for example) suggests a date sometime in the 1st century AD or even later, with perhaps some relationship in terms of function to the tessera of Ephesos with similar nonsensical legends. In other words, they are not coins in the true sense of the word, but instead are some kind of token.