Drachm - Phriapatius/Mithridates I

Sellwood 9 spans two reigns and a dynastic transition — Phriapatius ruled until around 168 BC, followed by his son Mithridates I, whose long reign transformed Parthia from a regional successor state into a genuine imperial power. Mithridates I seized Media around 148 BC and Mesopotamia by 141 BC, capturing the Seleucid king Demetrius II Nicator in the process. Coins from the earlier part of this Sellwood group predate that expansion entirely.

The series shows considerable die variation, and attributing individual specimens precisely to one reign or the other without hoard context remains difficult.