My First Coin In A Year And A Half - A Gap Filled

Down below is a seller's picture of a very ugly, tiny piece of ancient bronze. But that little AE is special enough that it prompted my first coin purchase since January of 2020. It just appeared on the market this afternoon, and I took the bait immediately. I guess I'm a coin collector, after all. Thought I'd share the image and info here.

According to my records, I've been collecting coins from Elymais since 2011. My Elymaeans are here:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/g...p?album=3637

Now, the history of Elymais is divided into three historical/dynastic phases: the Early Kamnaskirid Dynasty (c. 148 - 127 BC), the Later Kamnaskirid Dynasty (c. 82 - 32 BC) - which emerged after almost a half century of Parthian rule, and the Elymais Arsacid Dynasty (c. 25 BC - 228 AD), which ended when Elymais fell to the Sassanians.

One of my longtime numismatic "holy grails" has been a coin - any coin - from the Early Kamnaskirid Dynasty. They are very, very rare. All of my Elymaeans to date are from either the Later Kamnaskirid Dynasty or the Elymais Arsacid Dynasty.

So, this coin - being from the Early Kamnaskirid Dynasty - fills an important gap in my collection.

The two decades of the so-called Early Kamnaskirid Dynasty was a time of political flux, where the rule of Elymais seemed to constantly change hands. At times the Seleucids ruled, while at other times Parthia controlled the area. During some periods the indigenous Kamnaskirids ruled. And, on perhaps three occasions, it seems, usurpers took control. The first usurper, Okkonapses, ruled for a short time around 140 BC before Parthia's Mithradates I took control of the region. Another usurper, Dareios, may have ruled around 127 BC - although some have speculated his rule was earlier.

One of the three usurpers, Tigraios, was likely a local king. He conquered the Elymaean capital Susa in 138/7 BC. In doing so, he seized power from the Parthian viceroy to Elymais, Phraates II, who was the son of Parthia's King Mithradates I.


Tigraios
Usurper in Elymais, c. 138/7 - 133/2 BC
AE unit
14 mm, 1.6 g
Obv: Helmeted, youthful male bust facing right, pellet border
Rev: Eagle standing right, wings open, legend (BAΣIΛEΩΣ on right, TIΓPAIOY on left) largely obscured and partially off-flan on this example
Van't Haaff 5.5.1-1

Yeah, the coin is slabbed by NGC. There is always the temptation to deslabify, as I've done with a number of past purchases. But, given the rarity of this particular coin, I'll likely leave it entombed.