More Tyrant coins at Long Beach

The first gold coin ever struck will be among extremely rare ancients that will comprise the second public display of coins from the Tyrant Collection June 14-16 at the Long…

The first gold coin ever struck will be among extremely rare ancients that will comprise the second public display of coins from the Tyrant Collection June 14-16 at the Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Expo.

“The Tyrants of the Tigris & Euphrates” exhibit will showcase more than 350 important ancient to modern coins of the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys, including rulers of the Mesopotamian region from Cyrus the Great in 546 B.C.E. through Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The world’s first gold coin, a stater of King Kroisos, will lead a display of coins issued by the tyrants of the Middle East.

A King Kroisos gold stater prototype of the Sardes mint, circa 564-539 B.C.E., is one of only about two dozen known of the world’s first coin struck in gold. The Kroisos type coinage is one of the most recognizable of all ancient Greek kings of Lydia coinage, and this example was formerly in the Zurich Money Museum Collection.

An exceedingly rare Antiochos gold stater of the Seleukid Empire features a bridled horse head on the reverse.

From almost 300 years later comes an Antiochos gold stater, Seleukid Empire, circa 280-271 B.C.E. It is an apparently unique variety of an exceedingly rare issue depicting a bridled horse head to right with braided, horn-like forelock.

A large silver tetradrachm issued by Mithradates I of Parthia struck circa 164-132 B.C.E. will highlight the silver issues to be displayed in Long Beach.

Among silver issues will be a Parthian Kingdom tetradrachm of Mithradates I, circa 164-132 B.C.E., depicting a magnificent Hellenistic portrait of the king.

Another silver tetradrachm depicts King Phraatakes of Parthia on one side and Queen Musa on the other, Seleukeia on the Tigris mint, circa 2 B.C.E.-5 C.E.

Coins to be displayed are worth a combined $10 million.

“The entire Tyrant Collection undoubtedly is the world’s most valuable rare coin collection in private hands, worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Ira Goldberg, president of Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Inc.

“These exhibits with different coins displayed at upcoming Long Beach Expos will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many collectors, dealers and the public to see in person some of the world’s most significant rare coins.

“Visitors to the June Long Beach Expo can receive a free, illustrated booklet about this latest, amazing exhibit,” Goldberg said.

The Tyrant Collection’s owner wants to remain anonymous yet still share the coins with the public for their educational value through a multi-year series of displays at the Long Beach Expo.

The owner has assembled an unprecredented private collection of coins of tyrants of every age and every major civilization. Each section of the far-reaching collection is named after the principal water source of the civilization.

“The inaugural Tyrant Collection exhibition of English coins, ‘Tyrants of the Thames,’ this past February was a tremendous success, and we heard many compliments from collectors, dealers and the general public,” said Goldberg.

The June 2018 Long Beach Expo will be held in the Long Beach, Calif., Convention Center.

Visit www.LongBeachExpo.com for more show information.

This article was originally printed in Numismatic News Express. >> Subscribe today

More Collecting Resources

• The Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700 is your guide to images, prices and information on coins from so long ago.

• With over 25,000 listings and 15,500 illustrations, the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues is your go-to guide for modern bank notes.