| Obverse |
King mounted on horse right, holding whip, Kharoshthi letter, elongated sa at right, Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY / AZOY |
| Reverse |
Pallas Athena standing right, holding right hand outstretched, holding spear in left, monograms at left and right, Kharoshthi legend around: Maharajasa rajarajasa mahatasa / Ayasa |
| Date |
c. 1st century BCE |
| Weight |
9.54 gm. |
| Diameter |
26 mm. |
| Die axis |
12 o''clock |
| Reference |
MIG 848f, Sen 98.460aT |
| Comments |
Nobody knows for sure what the various monograms and Kharoshthi letters signify. A SUPERB coin on an uncharacteristically large flan! From the Dr. Kurt Aterman collection, ex-Numismatic Fine Arts, December 1989, lot 790.
A Note on the tetradrachms of Azes II: Azes II issued a wide array of tetradrachms that can be bewildering even to advanced collectors. The obverse is typically the so-called "KMW" or King mounted with whip. The reverses feature different deities: sometimes Zeus, sometimes Pallas Athena, sometimes a city goddess, and a given deity can be in different poses. The next criteria for differentiation is the monograms and/or letters on the reverse. Finally, there are distinguishing Kharoshthi letters on the obverse in front of the horse. |