Anomalous Zoilos II Bronze

310, Lot: 175. Estimate $200. Sold for $320. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Zoilos II Soter. Circa 65-55 BC. Æ (32mm, 14.42 g, 12h). Apollo standing right, with quiver on back, holding arrow; monogram to left / Tripod; Kharosthi letters flanking. Bopearachchi –; SNG ANS –; Bopearachchi & Rahman –. Near VF, dark brown and green patina. Unpublished?

An apparently unpublished and highly interesting coin. This type was issued both on round and square flans, with the arrangement of the legends corresponding accordingly – i.e., rounded for the round flans and squared off for the square flans. This strange and perhaps unique coin, seemingly an error strike that managed to escape the mint, betrays this rule. Additionally, the obverse monogram is unrecorded, as well as the combination of the left and right reverse controls, which appear to combine those of Bopearachchi series 5C and 5B, respectively.