Obverse: Head of the King Crowned with a
Diadem
Reverse: Nude Herakles Holding a Wreath and a
Club
Euthydemus II was the son of Bactrian King
Demetrius I and was named after his
grandfather. While little is known about his life,
Euthydemus II came to power at some point in
around 190 B.C., either following his father’s
death
or alongside him as coregent. Euthydemus II is
represented on his coinage as a boy, and it is
likely that he died quite young. Numismatically,
he has the distinction of being one of three
Bactrian kings, along with Agathocles and
Pantaleon, under whom coins were minted in
nickel. Believed to have been struck between
190 and 160 B.C. for certain denominations,
these coins were the first to be struck in nickel
and the only known use of this metal for coinage
until the
19th century.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of long
forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies. This
coin is a memorial to an ancient king and his
kingdom passed from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from generation to generation that
still appears as vibrant today as the day it was
struck.
- (C.2029)
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