Lot 1
Kings of the Bosporos, Asander (as king) AV Stater. Dated RY 17 = 31/0 BC.
World Coins; Including items from the Provence Collection | C24005
Auction: 17 July 2024 at 10:00 BST
Estimate: £15,000 - £18,000
Description
Kings of the Bosporos, Asander (as king) AV Stater. Dated RY 17 = 31/0 BC. Diademed head to right / Nike standing to left on prow, holding wreath and palm; BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, AΣANΔPOY to left, ZI (date) in inner left field. MacDonald 206; RPC I 1854; HGC 7, 201. 8.00g, 20mm, 12h.
NGC graded AU 4/5 - 2/5, brushed, bent (#6158066-006). Extremely Rare; only one other example with this date offered at auction in over 20 years.
Asander rose to prominence in the Kimmerian Bosporos after defeating Pharnakes II in battle. However, Julius Caesar instead appointed Mithridates of Pergamum, his personal friend, as ruler of the Bosporos, angering Asander, who also defeated and killed the new Mithridates II in 47 or 46 BC. He was left in sole control and quickly strengthened his claim to the throne by marrying Pharnakes’ daughter Dynamis, but only assumed the title of archon, likely a concession to Rome, which had and would in the future confirm all Bosporan kings. The staters of Asander bear Greek letter-numeral dates counting the years of his rule: this type, from the seventeenth year, is extremely rare and unlisted in the Handbook of Greek Coinage, with only one other example offered at auction in over two decades.
