VADFRADAD SILVER TETRADRACHM – DOUBLE OVERSTRIKE OVER BAYADAD AND ALEXANDER TYPE COINS – AU NGC GRADED KINGS OF PERSIS COIN (Inv. 20417)

$7,500.00

20417. KINGS OF PERSIS. VADFRADAD (AUTOPHRADATES I). Early 3rd century BC.
Silver Tetradrachm, 16.05 g, 33 mm. Mint of Istakhr (Persepolis).
Obv. Head of Vadfradad right, with short beard, mustache, and earring, wearing kyrbasia. Rev. Fire temple with Ahura Mazda above, Vadfradad standing right at left, standard in right field, wtprdt (“Vadfradad”) in Aramaic in outer right, prtrk’-zy (“frataraka”) in Aramaic below fire altar, ‘lhy’ (“the gods”) in Aramaic outer left.
Van’t Haaff, Persis, Type 540/542; cf. Alram 544; cf. BMC 1. Overstruck, probably on a tetradrachm of Seleucus I in the name of Alexander III.
NGC graded CHOICE AU, Strike 3/5, Surface 4/5, “die shift,” “undertype: Bagadat tetra.”

This tetradrachm is struck over a Baydad tetradrachm with fire altar reverse. Substantial traces of Baydad’s profile and kyrbasia appear upside-down on the obverse, while parts of the altar and the worshipping king reverse appears at the periphery of the other side. The rather curious curved line on reverse’s right is difficult to reconcile with the Persis undertype, except to suggest that it may be traces of an Alexander Heracles head that was used as host coin. If so, this is an instance of a double overstrike – Baydad/Altar over an Alexander-type tetradrachm, which was subsequently overstruck once again in the production of the present Vafrad/Fire temple tetradrachm.