Drachm - Mithridates II

Mithridates II expanded Parthian territory more aggressively than any ruler since Arsaces I, driving into Mesopotamia from the east while simultaneously absorbing Babylonia and extracting formal submission from several Armenian client kings — earning him the title "King of Kings" that his successors would carry for centuries. The sheer length of his reign means die varieties under Sellwood 26 are numerous, with the type showing progressive stylistic degradation toward the later issues as workshop control loosened.

Shore 77 represents an early die pairing within the type. The fabric on these is typically tight, struck from fresh dies before the characteristic die-axis drift seen in mid-reign production.