Is this the pinnacle of Hellenistic art? My newly arrived Eukratides I Tetradrachm

I may get a bit carried away by the excitement of owning my first Bactrian tetradrachm but when the coin revealed itself from the flip, I was instantly hooked by the quality of the portrait, even the damage on the left edge didn’t distract it’s beauty at all!

The wrinkles on forehead and the expressive cheekbone and jaw make a wonderful rendering of a revered and determined ruler. The realism in this portrait somehow reminds me of the veristic portraitures in late Roman Republic.

Since the legend on reverse lacked the epithet MEΓAΛΟΥ (“the great”) which appeared in the helmeted type and heroic bust type, it is hypothesised that this was minted in his early reign.

Interestingly I find the realism shown in this early issue was rarely found in his later helmeted and heroic types.