| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61519 | Auction date: 21 September 2025 |
| Lot number: 25151 Price realized: 2,900 USD (Approx. 2,463 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. Huvishka (ca. AD 151-190). AV dinar (20mm, 8.00 gm, 12h). AU. Kushan standard, Bactria, main mint (probably Balkh), late phase. ÞAONANOÞAO OO-HÞK-I KOÞANO, nimbate half-length bust of Huvishka left, on mountain top, wearing mustache, and wart on cheek, triangular helmet with pointed jeweled earflap, forehead medallion, crest jewel, and circular and crescent side ornaments, two diadems with triangular ties to right, upper diadem with ribbons to right, lower diadem with ladder-like ribbons over both shoulders, jeweled kaftan open at top and bottom, clasped at chest, with rolled lapels, worn over collared tunic, jewel-edged armlets with double-helix pattern, club in right hand with pointed index finger, transverse filleted scepter with elliptical finial in left hand over shoulder / APΔΟΧÞO, Ardoxsho standing facing, turned right, hair in buns at crown and back, ankle-length shawl clinging to breasts and wrapping around waist with end folds draping to right from left arm, worn over long-sleeved under-garment that falls in folds to cover feet, cornucopia upright in both hands; tamgha with crossbar before, dotted border. ANS Kushan 749. Göbl, MK 286. From The Merrill A. Gibson Collection of Ancient Coins. Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3026 (2 March 2025), lot 23274; Apollo Numismatics, private sale with old dealer's tag included; Pars Coins, private sale with old dealer's tag included. Like most Kushan rulers, Huvishka is something of an enigma in terms of his character, personality, and accomplishments. His rule was long and seemingly prosperous; although there was a substantial devaluation of the bronze coinage during his long reign, his gold coins remained of good weight and style throughout. Unlike most Kushan rulers, he employed several different obverse bust types on his gold coinage displaying a range of interesting attributes, among them the helmet-like rounded crown and mace-scepter, shaped like an ear of grain, seen here. While his predecessor Kanishka seemed to favor Iranian gods and goddesses, Huvishka was more of a nativist, the deities he honored being mostly Indian, among them Maaseno, depicted in exceptional detail here. Maaseno (also spelled Mahasena) was a Kushan version of the Hindu Skanda, also known as Kartikeya and Subramanya, a youthful god of war and victory. www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/ancient-india/india-kushan-empire-huvishka-ca-ad-151-190-av-dinar-20mm-800-gm-12h-au/p/61519-11007.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61519-09212025 HID02906262019 © 2025 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
