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| Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 609 | Auction date: 13 May 2026 |
| Lot number: 35 Price realized: 80 USD (Approx. 68 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS of THRACE, Macedonian. Agathokles, son of Lysimachos. Circa 290s-283/2 BC. Æ (12.5mm, 1.84 g, 12h). Agathokleia (Adramyteion) mint. Laureate head of Apollo right / Owl, with double body, standing facing; [kerykeion in exergue]. Tekin, More, Series 7, 8; Psoma, Agathokles –; CN Online Type 6414; HGC 3, –. Dark brown surfaces. Near VF. Very rare, Tekin notes only ten examples. Estimate: 100 USD |  |
Match 1:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Keystone Auction 17 | Auction date: 22 July 2026 |
| Lot number: 54 Price realized: 1,400 USD (Approx. 1,227 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS of ELYMAIS. Kamnaskires III, with Anzaze. Circa 82/1-73/2 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 16.02 g, 12h). Seleukeia on the Hedyphon mint. Dated SE 231 or 234 (82/1 BC or 78/7 BC). Conjoined busts of Kamnaskires III, diademed and draped bust and wearing long beard and torque, and Anzaze, draped and wearing stephane and necklace, left; anchor symbol to right / Zeus-Belos enthroned left, holding in outstretched right hand Nike, standing right and holding wreath, and scepter in left; ΠAKEΛΩN (sic) to inner left; traces of date in exergue. van't Haaff Type 7.1.1-1a-1-2a; cf. Alram 454; cf. DCA2 462. Some iridescence, tooling. EF. From the W. Toliver Besson Collection. Ex Goldberg 85 (2 June 2015), lot 3060. On the historical record, the Kingdom of Elymais remains rather mysterious, having left behind little in the way of written records aside from a few Aramaic inscriptions and its extensive coinage. Located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, its people likely descended from the Elamites, who built a flourishing Bronze Age civilization that was eventually absorbed into the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Under the Seleukids, the region gradually reasserted its autonomy, which prompted Antiochos III the Great to mount an expedition into Elymais, where he was killed by an archer in 187 BC. Virtually nothing is known of the next 40 years, but circa 147 BC a ruling dynasty, the Kamnaskirids, arose and began to strike coins in Elymais. The new monarchy at first supported the Seleukids but, after about 140 BC, became a Parthian vassal state. Its coinage reflects this shift, starting off as Hellenistic in character and soon becoming more Parthian in appearance. Estimate: 300 USD |  |
Match 2:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 132 | Auction date: 18 May 2026 |
| Lot number: 558 Price realized: 1,800 USD (Approx. 1,546 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS of ELYMAIS. Kamnaskires III, with Anzaze. Circa 82/1-73/2 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.25 g, 12h). Seleukeia on the Hedyphon mint. Dated SE 233 (80/79 BC). Conjoined busts of Kamnaskires III, diademed and draped bust and wearing long beard and torque, and Anzaze, draped and wearing stephane and necklace, left; anchor symbol to right / Zeus-Belos enthroned left, holding in outstretched right hand Nike, standing right and holding wreath, and scepter in left; ПAKEΔΩN to inner left; ΓΛΣ (date) in exergue. van't Haaff Type 7.1.1-4; Alram 454; Sunrise –; DCA 518; Triton XXVII, Session 5, lot 5370 (same obv. die, but earlier die state). Iridescent toning, cleaning marks. EF. The Kingdom of Elymais flourished as an autonomous sub-monarchy to the Seleukid and Parthian Kingdoms along the upper portion of the Persian Gulf, modern Khuzestan, Iran, from circa 188 BC to AD 222. The name derives from the ancient Biblical name for the region, Elam. Its earliest ruling dynasty, the Kamnaskirids, produced an intriguing coinage blending Hellenistic and Parthian elements. This attractive tetradrachm of Kamnaskires III depicts him alongside his wife, Anzaze, both of whom are named on the reverse as king and queen; both also sport royal diadems, indicating they ruled jointly. Estimate: 750 USD |  |
Match 3:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 132 | Auction date: 18 May 2026 |
| Lot number: 530 Price realized: 1,200 USD (Approx. 1,031 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: PERSIA, Alexandrine Empire. Mazakes. Satrap of Mesopotamia, circa 331-323/2 BC. AR Tetradrachm (22mm, 16.55 g, 6h). Imitating Athens. Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing; olive spray and crescent to left, small Θ-like symbol and [M]ZDK (in Aramaic) to right. Le Rider, Alexander, pp. 214–9; Van Alfen, Owls, Group IVc, 95 = O. Mørkholm, "A Coin of Artaxerxes III" in NC 1974, pl. I, 6 (same dies); Triton XVIII, lot 770 (same dies; hammer $6500). Toned, small flan flaw on cheek, die break in field on reverse. VF. Very rare. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 43 (24 September 1997), lot 815. Mazakes is best known as the Persian satrap who took over Egypt after Sabakes fell in battle against Alexander the Great's army at the Granicus, and later handed over the province peacefully to the Macedonian king. Imitative owls in the name of Mazakes have been known for some time, and all were originally attributed to his satrapy in Egypt. However, it was clear that stylistic elements separated the coinage into two general groups. More recent hoards, especially the 1973 Iraq hoard, have shown that one of the groups of imitative owls was certainly not struck in Egypt, but somewhere in the territory of modern day Iraq. In his analysis of the 1973 hoard, M. Price ("Circulation at Babylon in 323 B.C." in W.E. Metcalf, ed., Mnemata: Papers in Memory of Nancy M. Waggoner [New York, 1991], pp. 63–72) changed the findspot from Iraq to the more specific cite of Babylon, based on anecdotal evidence (p. 63), and gave the series of Mazakes' owls to the city. However, such an assignment has forced numismatists to conduct mental gymnastics in order to rationalize the presence of Mazakes' coins at Babylon (cf. Van Alfen, Owls, pp. 27–33, and Le Rider, Alexander, pp. 215–7, for a summary of the previous research). It is clear that the attribution of the owls to Babylon is almost certainly incorrect, and other find evidence suggests an attribution to somewhere further north, perhaps in the satrapy of Mesopotamia (cf. Le Rider, op. cit., p. 217–9). In any event, this coinage clarifies the historical record regarding the disposition of Mazakes following his hand-over of Egypt, upon which subject the literary evidence is silent. As noted by Le Rider (op. cit., p. 215), one can compare Mazakes to other Persians who peacefully welcomed Alexander to their domains: Mazaios, who handed over Cilicia, was later made satrap in Babylon, and Mithrenes, who surrendered Sardes, was made satrap in Armenia. Also, the Persian noble Amminapes, who met Alexander in Egypt with Mazakes, was later made satrap of Parthia and Hyrkania. Thus, one would expect Mazakes to receive similarly favorable treatment, appointment to some position of authority. Interestingly, Mesopotamia is the only satrapy that is not addressed in the literary evidence when Alexander is organizing his eastern territories. As these tetradrachms of Mazakes are found in that region, and date to the period after Alexander's conquest, it is reasonable to suggest that Mazakes may have been appointed as satrap of Mesopotamia. It was also in the adjacent satrapy of Babylonia that Mazaios was allowed to strike a coinage in his name and types (influenced by his prior issues at Tarsos) for local use, and similar issues of local type and weight are known to have been issued at mints throughout the basin of the Tigris and Euphrates, from the time of Alexander to Seleukos I. Thus, these Athenian type tetradrachms likely constitute a local coinage of Mazakes, struck in the satrapy of Mesopotamia while he reigned there. Estimate: 500 USD |  |
Match 4:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 133 | Auction date: 15 September 2026 |
| Lot number: 426 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Agathokleia & Strato I Soter. Circa 105-85/0 BC. AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 9.62 g, 12h). Jugate draped busts right of Strato I, also diademed, and Agathokleia / Athena Alkidemos standing left, brandishing thunderbolt and aegis; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 6A; Haughton, Silver, pp. 135-6 and pl. VIII, 2; Bopearachchi & Rahman 418; SNG ANS 987; MIG Type 306a; HGC 12, 314. Toned, tiny delaminations, slightly double struck, brushed. EF. Rare. The numismatic evidence suggests that Strato and Agathokleia co-ruled a portion of the Indo-Greek Kingdom, likely encompassing western Ghandara and parts of the Punjab, sometime in the later second century BC, but their possible connection with the other Indo-Greek dynasts remains entirely conjectural. The early consensus was that Agathokleia was the wife or sister of Menander I Soter (circa 155-130 BC), and that Strato was their son, for whom she served as regent in the early part of the reign. Further studies indicated that a gap of at least 20 years came between the reign of Menander and that of Agathokleia and Strato, precluding a direct succession. Agathokleia's name suggests she may be a descendant of the earlier Greco-Baktrian king Agathokles. Her prominence is indicated by a small coinage with her portrait alone on the obverse (see the previous two lots), making her the only female to appear by herself on a coin of the series. Estimate: 3000 USD |  |
Match 5:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 132 | Auction date: 18 May 2026 |
| Lot number: 197 Price realized: 3,750 USD (Approx. 3,221 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS of THRACE, Macedonian. Lysimachos. 305-281 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 17.10 g, 12h). Lampsakos mint. Struck 297/6-282/1 BC. Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / Athena Nikephoros seated left, arm resting on shield, transverse spear in background; torch to inner left, star on throne. Thompson 43; Müller 381; HGC 3, 1750b; SNG BN 2538-9. Light iridescent tone, underlying luster. Good VF. Attractive style and in high relief. From the D. K. Collection. Lysimachos, a Macedonian noble of great strength and stature, was born circa 360 BC and rose to prominence as a bodyguard for Alexander the Great, although he was a generation older than the young king. When Alexander's territories were parceled out in 323 BC, Lysimachos was given control of Thrace, the Chersonese, and the intervening Black Sea coast. Much of this territory was claimed by various Thracian tribes, forcing him to spend decades in a largely fruitless effort to subdue them. By the time he assumed the royal title in 306/5 BC, his kingdom consisted of little more than the southern portions of Thrace. But he soon experienced a late-career revival as he plunged fully into the wars of the Diadochi, carving out an ever-expanding realm largely at the expense of his main rivals, Antigonos I Monophthalmos and his son Demetrios I Poliorketes. This territory was rich with both bullion and mint cities, enabling Lysimachos to begin striking a voluminous coinage on his behalf, initially patterned on the coins of Alexander, but with his own name and royal title. Estimate: 1000 USD |  |
