5th-4th Centuries BC Achaemenid Empire Silver Siglos NGC Choice Extremely Fine 4x5

Greek writers called the Persian siglos an archer, and this silver siglos of the Achaemenid Empire shows exactly why. The Great King strides across the obverse with a drawn bow, the same image stamped on the coinage that paid Persian armies and hired Greek mercenaries for generations. Sigloi circulated hard across Asia Minor and the Levant, so most survivors come down flat, bent, or heavily banker-marked. A piece with the king's figure this complete stands well above the usual run of the type.

The obverse shows the hero-king in the familiar kneeling-running stance, wearing the crenellated crown and a long pleated robe. He holds a bow in his outstretched hand while a spear rests across his body, and the deeply cut drapery lines give the figure strong relief against the oval flan. The reverse carries no design at all, only the irregular incuse punch that the die sinker drove through the planchet. That rough reverse is correct for the issue and gives these coins their distinctive hand-struck look.

NGC graded this siglos Choice Extremely Fine with a Strike of 4/5 and Surfaces of 5/5, and the coin weighs 5.45 grams. The silver keeps a bright, even appearance with light gray patina settled into the recesses, and the surfaces are free of the gouges and test cuts that plague so many sigloi. A 5/5 surface rating on an ancient Persian silver coin is a real distinction, and it pairs here with a portrait that remains sharp from crown to hem. A welcome addition to any collection of ancient Persian or Greek silver coinage.

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