"COIN OF THE MONTH" - SAMARIA AR MA'AH ( OBOL ) "BAGABATAS", 4th CENTURY B.C.E.
Meshorer & Qedar SC 4, Sofaer 96, Choice Extremely Fine, 9.7mm, .59 gram, Struck Circa. 375 - 333 B.C.E.
Obverse: Persian satrap seated to right, inspecting arrow held in both hands, BT in Aramaic above right,date to left, bow to right below
Reverse: Persian king sacrificing bull, he holds its horn with his left hand, holding dagger to stab it in his right hand, bull stands to right with head facing left, Greek inscription BAΓABATAC (Bagabates)around, Θ in center
A RARE Samarian Ma'ah of Fine Style and nearly Mint State!
Struck on excellent metal. Areas of flat strike, otherwise possibly the FINEST rendition of the Persian King and Bull known! Compare with the recently sold coin at Nomos for $17,707 US dollars! See here. While the Nomos is no doubt a more evenly struck coin, ours features an equal to better portrait of the Persian king with a superior bull. The coin is also enlarged so many times and appears amazingly sharp to the eye.
