The mighty Persian Empire, fathered by Cyrus the Great, adversary of the
Greek city-states, and shattered by Alexander the Great, provides an
exceptional gold Daric for our upcoming May Collectors Choice Online auction.
The royal dynasty that ruled the empire was known as the Achaemenids, derived
from their legendary founder Achaemenes. This vast empire would control
portions of Thrace and Macedonia to the Indus Valley, and parts of Egypt,
Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. Some notable achievements of the empire
include a postal system, roads, and the use of an official language. Despite these
advancements, the central government eventually lost control of the local
governments, who openly rebelled on numerous occasions. The empire was in a
disorganized state by the time Alexander the Great of Macedon invaded.
Alexander attempted to integrate himself as an Achaemenidae ruler, but died
just a few years later. Seleucus inherited the Asian portions of Alexander’s
realm, with the Seleucid Empire continuing the Achaemenidae Empire.
Coinage created in the Persian Empire was almost exclusively used for
trade with the Greeks, and not for inter-imperial trade. The Persians
maintained a system of direct exchange or contribution of services and natural
goods and coins as a bartering tool were scarcely needed. Most of the Persian
Empire’s coinage was produced at Sardes, at the far western edge of the empire,
as it was in close proximity to the Greeks and their trade. The gold pieces
produced at Sardes for the Persians became known as Darics after their
“inventor” Dareios. These pieces would be used to pay for Greek mercenaries.
The gold Darics depicting the “Great King” of Persia would become nearly as
famous as the well known Athenian Tetradrachms throughout the Mediterranean
world.
The coin’s design features the Persian Great King in a kneeling-running stance
facing right. The bearded and mural crowned king holds in his right hand a
spear with the tip pointed down and a bow in his left hand. The reverse is an
incuse punch design which is iconic for the type. The coin is well centered,
with the entire obverse design present. This coin was struck sometime during
the reigns of Xerxes II, Sogdianus, Darius II, or Artaxerxes II (ca. 420 – 375
B.C.). It is one of many intriguing and enticing ancient numismatic pieces in
our upcoming May Collectors Choice Online Auction.
We are still accepting consignments for our May 2017 Collectors Choice
Online Auction through mid-April. We are also accepting consignments of Chinese
and other Asian coins and currency for our August 2017 Hong Kong Showcase
Auction and world and ancient coins along with world paper money for our August
2017 ANA Auction. Time is running short, so if you are interested in consigning
your coins and paper currency (whether a whole collection or a single rarity)
be sure to contact one of our consignment directors.
