| Roma Numismatics Ltd > E-Sale 117 | Auction date: 22 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 506 Price realized: 95 GBP (Approx. 120 USD / 111 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Yuezhi, Sapalbizes (Sapadbizes) AR Hemidrachm. Late 1st century BC. Helmeted and draped bust to right; CAΠAΛBIZHC around / Lion standing to right; crescent and Λ above, NANAIA to left and right. ANS Kushan 1-2; Senior A6.1; Alram 1259; HGC 12, 516. 1.37g, 15mm, 12h. Very Fine; die-break and encrustations to obv., light cabinet tone. Privately purchased from Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung, inventory #114557. The two examples sold by Roma Numismatics in E-Sale 60 (lots 457-8) and E-Sale 103 (lot 642) clearly show that the fifth letter in the name on the obverse is a lambda, not a delta. It is therefore likely that the first prince of the Yuezhi was named Sapalbizes rather than Sapadbizes as previously thought based on more worn examples of the type. There was a tradition of Skythian names with the prefix "Spal" or "Sapal", connecting the word to "the army" which adds strength to this theory. Estimate: 100 GBP |  |
