Ста­тер, золо­то
Дата чекан­ки: 290—281 гг. до н. э.*
Монет­ный двор: Неиз­вест­ный монет­ный двор в Бак­трии (Бак­тра?)
вес: 8.51 г
ось: 10 ч.
SC 257; SCB 1.1, 4 (A1/P1; эта моне­та); ESM 331; Houghton 1034 = NFA XVIII, 279; Treasures of Ancient Bactria (Miho Museum, 2002), 44 i and j (рань­ше чис­ли­лись в Mir Zakah II).
Чрез­вы­чай­но ред­кий, один из шести извест­ных.
Classical Numismatic Group — Triton X, lot 389 (09.01.2007). Est. $50000. Sold $40000.
Numismatica Ars Classica NAC — Auction 59, lot 641 (04.04.2011). Sold 100000 CHF.

Эти необыч­ные моне­ты селев­кид­ской про­вин­ции Бак­трии, отче­ка­нен­ные в честь вос­ше­ст­вия на пре­стол Селев­ка I, име­ли для Селев­кидов осо­бен­ное зна­че­ние, как с точ­ки зре­ния дина­сти­че­ской пре­ем­ст­вен­но­сти, так и исто­ри­че­ской важ­но­сти. Апол­лон, поме­щён­ный на авер­сах монет это­го выпус­ка, был покро­ви­те­лем цар­ско­го дома и офи­ци­аль­но счи­тал­ся пред­ком Селев­ка. Его изо­бра­же­ние в виде Апол­ло­на Дель­фий­ско­го ста­ло основ­ным для ревер­сов золотых и сереб­ря­ных монет Селев­кидов в тече­ние все­го сле­дую­ще­го сто­ле­тия. Моне­ты, на ревер­сах кото­рых были запря­жен­ные сло­на­ми колес­ни­цы, впер­вые ста­ли чека­нить­ся на монет­ных дво­рах в Селев­кии на Тиг­ре и в Сузах при­мер­но к деся­той годов­щине окон­ча­ния индий­ской кам­па­нии Селев­ка 305 г. до н. э., а затем они ста­ли выпус­кать­ся и в дру­гих горо­дах. По согла­ше­нию с Чанд­ра­гуп­той Селевк полу­чил 500 бое­вых сло­нов, кото­рые внес­ли суще­ст­вен­ный вклад в его победу над Анти­го­нида­ми в бит­ве при Ипсе в 301 г. до н. э. После это­го запря­жен­ная сло­на­ми бига ста­ла сим­во­лом могу­ще­ства Селев­кидов, а так­же слу­жи­ла напо­ми­на­ни­ем о пред­ше­ст­вен­ни­ке Селев­ка, пра­вив­шем до него на Восто­ке, Алек­сан­дре Вели­ком, в честь подви­гов кото­ро­го в Индии часто чека­ни­ли моне­ты с изо­бра­же­ни­ем такой биги.

Provenances of coins assigned to this mint argue for a location in Bactria. Kritt offered compelling arguments for Aï Khanoum, a Seleucid colony discovered in the 1960s in the northeastern part of Bactria, near the Afghan-Russian border. In his 1996 work, Seleucid Coins of Bactria, he noted that a variant of a common monogram found on these issues (a Delta within a circle) has been found stamped on bricks at Aï Khanoum.
More recently, Houghton and Lorber have embraced the original view of Edward T. Newell, namely that the most important mint in Bactria would be located in the commercial, political and geographical centre of the province, Bactra. While acknowledging there is a lack of evidence to support the case for Bactra due to a shortfall in the archaeological record, Houghton and Lorber conclude it „...remains a compelling candidate for a royal mint on the grounds of historical probability.“

Unlike most Seleucid kings, Seleucus I struck a very large quantity of gold coins. However, the vast majority was issued in the name of Alexander III, and employed his familiar design that paired the helmeted head of Athena with Nike holding a wreath and stylis. To those we may add a significantly smaller group of staters bearing that same design, but issued in the name of Seleucus. Beyond these, there are three extraordinary rarities: distaters of the Alexandrine type bearing the name of Seleucus, darics and double-darics bearing on their obverse a portrait of Alexander III in elephant’s scalp and on their reverse a standing Nike, and staters with the laureate head of Apollo and a biga of elephants driven by Artemis, who draws an arrow in her bow. The latter type, offered here, is currently known by issues from Susa and from an uncertain mint in Bactria. Provenances of coins assigned to this mint argue for a location in Bactria. Kritt offered compelling arguments for Aï Khanoum, a Seleucid colony discovered in the 1960s in the northeastern part of Bactria, near the Afghan-Russian border. In his 1996 work, Seleucid Coins of Bactria, he noted that a variant of a common monogram found on these issues (a Delta within a circle) has been found stamped on bricks at Aï Khanoum. More recently, Houghton and Lorber have embraced the original view of Edward T. Newell, namely that the most important mint in Bactria would be located in the commercial, political and geographical centre of the province, Bactra. While acknowledging there is a lack of evidence to support the case for Bactra due to a shortfall in the archaeological record, Houghton and Lorber conclude it "..remains a compelling candidate for a royal mint on the grounds of historical probability".