155, Lot: 99. Estimate $100. Sold for $118. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of PARTHIA. Phriapatios. 185-170 BC. Æ Chalkon (18mm, 3.65 g). Hekatompylos mint. Head left, wearing bashlyk / Horse walking right. Sellwood 8.2 (Mithradates I); Shore 22 (Mithradates I). Fine, dark brown patina. Rare.

Dr. Assar will offer a detailed discussion of the genealogy of the early Parthian kings in a future publication and argue that Artabanos (grandson of Arsakes I) minted S7-S8 drachms while S9 and S10.15 with the epithet QEOS “the God” were issued by Phriapatius, father of Phraates I. This allows part of the S10 drachms (especially S10.17 with the title QEOPATOR “Son of a Deified Father”) to be assigned to Phraates I with the remainder taken as the initial coinage of Mithradates I (particularly S10.10 and S10.14 from Ekbatana).