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Lot 442
SASANIAN KINGS. Ohrmazd (Hormizd) I. AD 272-273. AV Dinar (22mm, 7.41 g, 3h). Style Abis. Uncertain mint. Good VF.
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Est.
$75,000
Starting Bid: $45,000
Live Auction
Triton XXVIII
Live bidding began Jan 14, 2025 at 9:00 AM EST
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Description
SASANIAN KINGS. Ohrmazd (Hormizd) I. AD 272-273. AV Dinar (22mm, 7.41 g, 3h). Style Abis. Uncertain mint. mzdysn bgy ’hrmzdy MRK’n MRK’ ’yr’n W ’n’yr’n MNW ctry MN yzd’n in Pahlavi, bust right, wearing diadem and crown with korymbos; two pellets between upper and lower ribbons; crown and korymbos decorated with pellets / ’wḥrmzdy in blundered Pahlavi) to left, NWR’ zy in blundered Pahlavi to right, fire altar; flanked by two attendants, left wearing crown with korymbos, right wearing mural crown and holding diadem. SNS type Ib(1)/2b(1) and pl. 2, A9 = Saeedi AV 10; Sunrise –; Zeno –. Toned, edge flaw. Good VF. Extremely rare denomination for this ruler, only the second known dinar of this particular variety for Ohrmazd I (the other being the Saaedi coin).
The third son of the conquering monarch Šābuhr (Shahpur) I (AD 240-270), Ohrmazd I first comes to historical light as one of his father’s commanders during the Sasanian invasion of the Roman east in AD 253-256. Legend has it he was advanced in the succession due to a prophecy. His name is recorded on an inscription in Persepolis as “Great King of the Armenians,” a title granted to the royal heir much as “Prince of Wales” is used nowadays to designate the heir to the British throne. He was raised to the Persian throne upon the death of his father, either in AD 270 or 272. Very little is known about his brief reign. His coins bear his title “King of Kings of the Iranians” but also add “and non-Iranians,” an innovation carried on by succeeding Sasanian monarchs. His coins also differ from those of his father in that the fire attendants on the reverse are usually shown facing inward toward the altar, as opposed to facing away. Unlike his father’s long and consequential rule, Ohrmazd I’s reign was only about a year, and the cause of his death is unrecorded. Although he is known to have had a son, he was succeeded by his brother, Bahram I (AD 273-276). While his silver coins are scarce, gold issues of Ohrmazd I are exceedingly rare, with four dinars recorded in total, only two of this variety.
The final winners of all Triton XXVIII lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 14-15 January 2025.
Triton XXVIII – Session Two – Lot 288–557 will be held Tuesday afternoon, 14 January 2025 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
We recognize that our users may have various Internet Browsers and Operating Systems. We like our visitors to have the best possible experience when using our bidding platform. However, we do recognize that it is impossible to develop applications that work identically, efficiently and effectively on all web browsers. The CNG bidding platform supports the latest stable major version and stable previous version of Chrome and Firefox.
The third son of the conquering monarch Šābuhr (Shahpur) I (AD 240-270), Ohrmazd I first comes to historical light as one of his father’s commanders during the Sasanian invasion of the Roman east in AD 253-256. Legend has it he was advanced in the succession due to a prophecy. His name is recorded on an inscription in Persepolis as “Great King of the Armenians,” a title granted to the royal heir much as “Prince of Wales” is used nowadays to designate the heir to the British throne. He was raised to the Persian throne upon the death of his father, either in AD 270 or 272. Very little is known about his brief reign. His coins bear his title “King of Kings of the Iranians” but also add “and non-Iranians,” an innovation carried on by succeeding Sasanian monarchs. His coins also differ from those of his father in that the fire attendants on the reverse are usually shown facing inward toward the altar, as opposed to facing away. Unlike his father’s long and consequential rule, Ohrmazd I’s reign was only about a year, and the cause of his death is unrecorded. Although he is known to have had a son, he was succeeded by his brother, Bahram I (AD 273-276). While his silver coins are scarce, gold issues of Ohrmazd I are exceedingly rare, with four dinars recorded in total, only two of this variety.
The final winners of all Triton XXVIII lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 14-15 January 2025.
Triton XXVIII – Session Two – Lot 288–557 will be held Tuesday afternoon, 14 January 2025 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
We recognize that our users may have various Internet Browsers and Operating Systems. We like our visitors to have the best possible experience when using our bidding platform. However, we do recognize that it is impossible to develop applications that work identically, efficiently and effectively on all web browsers. The CNG bidding platform supports the latest stable major version and stable previous version of Chrome and Firefox.
