This AV daric of the Achaemenid Empire is among the most iconic gold coins ever struck—currency not just of wealth, but of imperial authority.
Issued in the 5th century BC, the obverse shows the famed hero-king archer, poised with bow and spear. More than a portrait, this image is a statement of rule: the Great King as warrior, protector, and divine agent, commanding loyalty across a realm that stretched from the Aegean to the Indus. The reverse bears the characteristic incuse punch, a stark, archaic counterbalance that underscores the coin’s early monetary power.
Darics were struck to pay armies, reward loyalty, and fund diplomacy. Greek mercenaries coveted them; city-states measured power against them. To the ancient world, Persian gold meant certainty—weight, purity, and the reach of empire.
Preserved here in Extremely Fine, with strong strike (4/5) and clean surfaces (4/5), this example retains crisp definition in the archer’s form and the commanding presence that made darics legendary.
This is gold that ruled the ancient world—the monetary backbone of the first true superpower. Few coins so perfectly capture the fusion of art, authority, and precious metal.
A cornerstone acquisition for collectors of ancient gold, Persian imperial history, or foundational coinage where power itself was minted into metal.
This AV daric of the Achaemenid Empire is among the most iconic gold coins ever struck—currency not just of wealth, but of imperial authority.
Issued in the 5th century BC, the obverse shows the famed hero-king archer, poised with bow and spear. More than a portrait, this image is a statement of rule: the Great King as warrior, protector, and divine agent, commanding loyalty across a realm that stretched from the Aegean to the Indus. The reverse bears the characteristic incuse punch, a stark, archaic counterbalance that underscores the coin’s early monetary power.
Darics were struck to pay armies, reward loyalty, and fund diplomacy. Greek mercenaries coveted them; city-states measured power against them. To the ancient world, Persian gold meant certainty—weight, purity, and the reach of empire.
Preserved here in Extremely Fine, with strong strike (4/5) and clean surfaces (4/5), this example retains crisp definition in the archer’s form and the commanding presence that made darics legendary.
This is gold that ruled the ancient world—the monetary backbone of the first true superpower. Few coins so perfectly capture the fusion of art, authority, and precious metal.
A cornerstone acquisition for collectors of ancient gold, Persian imperial history, or foundational coinage where power itself was minted into metal.
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