Regatul Achaemenid Double Daric

EXCEPTIONALLY RARE ACHAEMENID DOUBLE DARIC

A Unicorn of the Ancient Numismatic World

Gold Double Daric — 16.54 g
Scale reading: 16.6 g
Obverse: Royal figure
Reverse: Incuse punch

An exceptionally rare and historically evocative Achaemenid Double Daric, weighing an exact 16.54 grams — approximately twice the weight of the celebrated Achaemenid Daric.

This is NOT to be confused with the far more commonly encountered single Daric, which typically weighs approximately 8.4 grams. The present specimen belongs to an altogether different and extraordinarily rare denomination.

The Achaemenid Daric became one of the great gold currencies of the ancient Near East. Following the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander III of Macedon (“Alexander the Great”), the vast Achaemenid royal treasuries were absorbed into the rapidly expanding Hellenistic monetary system. The standard gold stater of the Hellenistic world weighed approximately 8.5 grams, making the traditional Achaemenid Daric, at around 8.4 grams, broadly compatible with the prevailing gold-stater standard and therefore the regular Daric remained in circulation.

The Double Daric, however, presented an entirely different proposition. At approximately 16.5 grams, it represented two Daric weight units struck as a single piece, without a direct and widely established Hellenistic equivalent. Such large gold denominations were therefore particularly vulnerable to being withdrawn from circulation, melted, and converted into the Hellenistic coinage required by the new monetary order.

Against this extraordinary historical backdrop, the survival of an Achaemenid Double Daric in its original form is remarkable, especially in this condition.

This specimen may therefore be viewed as a survivor of the great monetary transformation that accompanied Alexander's conquest of the Achaemenid Empire — a coin that, rather than disappearing into the melting pot of antiquity, survived to the present day.

A coin of exceptional rarity

The Double Daric is among the great rarities of Achaemenid gold coinage. Its scarcity stands in stark contrast to the comparatively familiar single Daric, which is encountered with considerably greater frequency.

For comparison, a 16.55 g Double Daric catalogued from Roma Numismatics Auction XXII, Lot 416 (2021) achieved GBP 38,000 plus buyer's premium, demonstrating the extraordinary level of interest and value attached to these exceedingly rare gold denominations.

Attribution

The precise attribution of the Achaemenid Double Daric remains a matter of scholarly debate. Unlike many later Hellenistic issues, these coins do not always provide an unequivocal ruler's name or inscription allowing an indisputable attribution.

The principal candidates proposed for this series include:

Darius I the Great (522–486 BC)
Xerxes I (486–465 BC)
Artaxerxes I (465–424 BC)

On stylistic and numismatic grounds, the present specimen is considered highly likely to belong to the reign of Darius I, although, as with the series generally, the attribution cannot be regarded as absolutely certain.

A remarkable survivor

With its imposing 16.54 g weight, traditional Achaemenid royal imagery, and extreme rarity, this Double Daric represents far more than an ancient gold coin.

It is a tangible survivor from the final centuries of the Achaemenid Empire, a period in which enormous quantities of treasure were gathered into the royal treasury, subsequently seized by Alexander, and transformed into the monetary foundation of the Hellenistic world.

An exceptionally rare Achaemenid Double Daric — a true unicorn of the ancient numismatic world.


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