Tiridates II - AE unit - Bust right

Identifier

Kovacs-203; Nurpetlian 2015, nos. 14-26; ANRO-858

Reference Description

Tiridates II 217-252 AD
AE unit
Obv. Bearded head of Tiridates II right, wearing short tiara with four or five peaks, diadem tied with large loop, wreath border.
Rev. Aramaic inscription in two lines.

Recent Sales

	Auction	Date	Characteristics	Realized
23	Leu Web 20 Lot 1439	15-Jul-2022	25mm, 8.00g, 12h	CHF 1,300
22	Naumann 117 Lot 506	4-Jun-2022	25mm, 5.43g	EUR 120
21	Naumann 116 Lot 478	30-Apr-2022	26mm, 6.88g	EUR 65
20	Roma e88 Lot 393	8-Sep-2021	25mm, 4.60g, 12h	GBP 180
19	Naumann 96 Lot 214	31-Oct-2020	24mm, 6.68g	EUR 325
18	Leu 7 Lot 1327	23-Oct-2020	25mm, 8.00g, 12h	CHF 850
17	Savoca 83 Lot 639	21-Aug-2020	25mm, 5.27g	EUR 100
16	Leu Web 12 Lot 555	29-May-2020	24mm, 7.31g, 12h	CHF 140
15	Leu 11 Lot 1036	21-Feb-2020	25mm, 6.07g, 12h	CHF 260
14	Leu Web 10 Lot 562	6-Dec-2019	26mm, 7.45g, 12h	CHF 140
13	Leu Web 9 Lot 505	6-Sep-2019	26mm, 7.00g, 12h	CHF 260
12	Leu Web 8 Lot 535	28-Jun-2019	25mm, 5.48g, 12h	CHF 170
11	Nomos 18 Lot 239	4-May-2019	24mm, 4.23g, 10h	CHF 1,900
10	Leu 2 Lot 143	10-May-2018	23mm, 4.21g, 11h	CHF 750
9	Obolos Web 6 Lot 593	19-Nov-2016	22mm, 6.27g, 12h	CHF 1,000
8	Rauch 97 Lot 256	14-Apr-2015	6.98g, 12h	EUR 520
7	Gorny 225 Lot 1697	14-Oct-2014	6.43g	-
6	Gorny 200 Lot 2029	10-Oct-2011	25mm, 7.11g, 12h	EUR 500
5	CNG 85 Lot 62	15-Sep-2010	23mm, 5.58g, 12h	$1,500
4	Gorny 165 Lot 1392	17-Mar-2008	5.46g	EUR 200
3	CNG 70 Lot 367	21-Sep-2005	24mm, 7.62g, 1h	$850
2	CNG 67 Lot 832	22-Sep-2004	22mm, 5.55g	$1,500
1	CNG 66 Lot 818	19-May-2004	23mm, 6.36g	-

Notes

The coins cautiously attributed to this king have been only recently published in any numbers and the reading of the king's name is still being debated. Two coins have been found in excavatations at ancient Artaxata in Armenia and others are reported to have been found there, so Armenian origin seems likely, if not certain. Tiridates's head surrounded by a wreath on the larger coins (unit) is likely emblematic of his success in thwarting the Sasanian attracks on his kingdom. On one of the two smaller denominations (half-unit) is a crudely drawn twin-peaked Mt. Ararat.

Kovacs, Frank L. “Armenian Coinage in the Classical Period” CNS 10, Classical Numismatic Group, Lancaster, 2016, pp. 35.