1228 Second Notice of some forged Coins [No. 108. 



of the original genuine coin is now before me, and I can therefore 

 vouch for the correctness of Mr. Prinsep's engraving. 



On the obverse of this rude piece it is observable that the little 

 charioteer of the original is replaced by two unmeaning strokes ; and 

 that the principal figure, as well as the body of the chariot, is orna- 

 mented with a row of small lines, which I believe to have been copied 

 from the shading of Mr. Prinsep's engraving. The Greek legend is 

 besides faulty: there being but a mere stroke for the A oi BasileuSy 

 and the final c of Kadphises being altogether omitted ; and these 

 two letters are the only faulty ones in Mr. Prinsep's engraving. On 

 the reverse the standing figure with a trident exhibits a double outline 

 from double striking ; and the body has three sloping lines drawn across 

 it, which are the very number of shaded strokes in Mr. Prinsep's 

 sketch. The Bactrian legend is particularly faulty ; as 1 suppose from 

 the incompleteness of the original engraving, from which the dies of 

 this piece appear to have been copied. 



We have Tu, Maha distinct enough, but then follows fl s, for 

 which the two upright strokes of the r and 7, which are alone visible 

 in the'etching, might easily be mistaken. 



From all these coincidences between this spurious gold piece and 

 the engraving published by Mr. Prinsep, and from its extremely 

 barbarous workmanship, I have no doubt whatever that it is a forgery ; 

 and I suspect that it must have been copied from Mr. Prinsep's 

 engraving. It is certainly very curious that the same fact, which I 

 have observed regarding the engraved originals of the Bactrian forge- 

 ries being found all in the same plate, is to be noticed of the engraved 

 originals of these two Indo- Scythian forgeries, which are likewise 

 found together in another plate of Mr. Prinsep's Journal. I shall 

 therefore not only be not surprised, but I shall expect to see other 

 forgeries of the rarer original coins engraved in those two plates ; for 

 I cannot help suspecting that the person who has forged all these 

 coins is in possession of copies of those two plates. 



From the long remarks which I have made upon the coins of this 

 second class of forgeries, it will be evident that the best test for distin- 

 guishing a genuine coin is its excellence as a work of art ; and this 

 test will hold good with the earlier coins of the Indo-Scythians, as 

 well as with the whole series of the Bactrian coins, which have pure 



