| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61519 | Auction date: 21 September 2025 |
| Lot number: 25149 Price realized: 5,250 USD (Approx. 4,458 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients INDIA. Kushan Empire. Kanishka I (ca. AD 127-151). AV dinar (20mm, 8.00 gm, 12h). MS. Kushan standard, Bactria, main mint (probably Balkh), late phase. ÞAONANOÞAO KA-NHÞKI KOÞANO, Kanishka I standing facing, head left, with long beard, flame emanating from right shoulder, wearing round cap with ladder-like brim, diadem tie with two ribbons to right, cloak around shoulders double-clasped at chest with corner folds pointing left and right, worn over belted tunic, trousers, and boots, sacrificing with right hand over altar at left, grounded spear in left hand, sword with curved hilt held by buckled belt; dotted border beneath feet / OHÞO, Oesho (Siva or Shiva) standing facing, nimbate head left, hair in topknot, wearing dhoti, bracelets, and armlets with amulet string across chest, pouring water from flask in extended lower right hand, holding vajra (thunderbolt) in raised upper right hand, transverse trident in raised upper left hand, holding a goat by the horns at hip in lower left hand; tamgha without crossbar to left, dotted border. ANS Kushan 381-383. Göbl, MK 78. From The Merrill A. Gibson Collection of Ancient Coins. Ex Apollo Numismatics, private sale with old dealer's tag included. During the reign of Kanishka I the Great, the Kushan Empire reached its greatest territorial extent. A fervent patron of the arts, Kanishka fostered a golden age of sculpture that continued the Greco-Buddhist tradition at Peshawar in Gandhara and catalyzed the mass production of standing and Bodhisattvas Buddhas in Mathura. His contributions to monumental architecture include the construction of numerous stupas, including one near Peshawar that may have stood as the tallest structure in the ancient world. Moreover, his patronage of Buddhist learning led to the spread of the religion into China. Demonstrating his influence over the cultural landscape, Kanishka promulgated an edict that replaced the administrative language of the Kushan Empire from Greek to the local Bactrian language. The earliest coins from his reign featured depictions of Greek deities Helios, Hephaistos, Selene, and Anemos on the reverse. The various deities possibly served as mint marks or labels for different batches of coins. After the edict to "discontinue the language of the Ionians", these deities were adapted into their Zoroastrian equivalents with Bactrian names, notably adding Oesho (the Bactrian version of Shiva) and the earliest dated images of the Buddha. Upon closer inspection of the legends of Kanishka's Bactrian coins, one can see the die revision to accommodate the language change. Numismatist Joe Cribb has posited a fascinating thesis that challenges the common interpretation of this pantheon as "syncretic." Cribb suggests that the specific deities on Kanishka's coins were distinct from those worshipped by the Bactrian populace, likely tracing back to the Yuezhi ancestors of the Kushana. This suggests that the wide array of deities on the reverse of Kanishka's coinage represented an effort by the royal dynasty to translate their ancestral pantheon into the local language and iconography. www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/ancient-india/india-kushan-empire-kanishka-i-ca-ad-127-151-av-dinar-20mm-800-gm-12h-ms/p/61519-11010.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61519-09212025 HID02906262019 © 2025 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
