1840.] of the Bactrians and Indo- Scythians. 122 \ 



gold forgery of Menander, where the letters ANA are joined together 

 by several flaws ; and this place I suppose to have been the mouth 

 of the mould, and that the letters have become confused together by 

 the more rapid cooling of the molten metal towards the neck of the 

 mould, which prevented it from entering perfectly into the hollows of 

 the letters at that part. From the same cause the letters BA2IA 

 on the gold piece of Antimachus are totally obliterated. I may add 

 also as a further proof of the spuriousness of these pieces, that, when I 

 showed them in the midst of several genuine silver coins to a native 

 goldsmith, and asked him if he could make me some casts from them, 

 he replied, that the figures and letters of the casts would not be so 

 clear and distinct as on the original coins ; and then added, as he 

 picked up one of the gold pieces, *' This was made in a mould." 



Of the second kind of forgeries, the specimens which have come to 

 my notice, are chiefly of silver, with the exception of Lady Sale's gold 

 piece of Amyntas, and the gold piece of Kadphises engraved at the 

 foot of the accompanying plate. 



No. 1. A round silver piece of the size of a tetradrachm, weighing 

 243 grains. It is evidently imitated from a coin similar to Dr. Swiney's 

 tetradrachm, published by Mr. James Prinsep in the Jour. As. Soc. of 

 Bengal, for November 1836; if not indeed from that very coin; 

 which I had frequent opportunities of seeing, when it was in Dr. 

 Swiney's possession. Its relief was exceedingly bold, as I have 

 shown in the left hand section of the plate, and this boldness is what 

 will always be wanting in forgeries made by natives of India, whether 

 from modelled moulds, or by engraved dies. The section to the right 

 is of the spurious piece of Euthydemus ; and a single glance at the 

 two sections will be sufficient to show the great difference in the 

 relief of the head of the two coins. 



It is true that there are ancient tetradrachms of Euthydemus of 

 great rudeness of execution ; (vide, Jour. As. Soc. of Bengal, June 

 1833 ; plate 1 1 ; Fig. 6,) but even they are distinguished by a boldness in 

 the relief of the head, which is not to be found in any of the modern 

 forgeries, which I am about to describe. These ancient rude tetra- 

 drachms are discovered chiefly in the neighbourhood of Bokhara, from 

 whence many have passed into Russia, and have been published by 



the celebrated Russian antiquary M. KOhler. I liave one now before 



7 K 



