2002 Silver American Eagles - Brilliant Uncirculated

American Eagle Silver dollar coins have been produced each year by the United States Government since 1986. Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful American coin designs, it is modeled after the old half dollars depicting Adolph A. Weinman's Walking Liberty. Each official U.S. American Silver Eagle dollar coin contains 1 troy ounce of 0.999 pure silver and is 40.6 mm (about 1.6 inches) in diameter. Because of its beauty, it the American Silver Eagle has become one of the most widely collected dollar coins in the world. Each coin is carefully removed from original U.S. Mint tubes and placed in either a plastic flip or custom case.

PERSIA, Alexandrine Empire. Mazaios. Satrap of Babylon, circa 331-328 BC. AV Double Daric (17.20 g, 10h). Baaltars seated left, torso facing, holding grapes, grain ear, and eagle in right hand, sceptre in left / Lion attacking bull to the left within linear square frame; all within shallow incuse square. Treasures of Ancient Bactria (Miho Museum, 2002), 44 a and b (both ex Mir Zakah II deposit) var. (lion attacking bull to the right). For Mazaios’ Cilician silver prototype, cf. SNG Levante 100-106, and for barbarous or local issues of the same type cf. SNG France 2, 352-353. Good VF with underlying luster, slight flan flaw and faint double striking, spot of superficial verdigris on the reverse edge. Extremely rare, third known of the type and unique with the reverse design to the left. This extraordinary gold issue, unknown until the discovery of two examples in the Mir Zakah II deposit, bears the familiar types used by Mazaios as satrap of Cilicia for his silver staters, but without the usual legend and monograms. Mazaios, a Persian nobleman, had a long and distinguished career. He was appointed satrap of Cilicia about 361 BC, and the region known as ‘Across the River’ (modern Syria, Lebanon, and Israel) was later added to his domain. He fought against the Phoenicians of Sidon who revolted with the support of Pharaoh Nektanebo II and the Greek mercenary leader Mentor. Mazaios later served as the satrap of Mesopotamia and married Barsine, the daughter of Darios III. Mazaios’ absence from the first fighting when Alexander invaded Asia has been explained by the likelihood that he was the satrap of Babylonia at the time and was guarding Darios’ back. In 331 BC, as Alexander marched into the heart of the Persian Empire, Mazaios obstructed his way with a small cavalry contingent and forced Alexander to take a route leading to Gaugamela, where the massive Persian army had assembled in wait for Alexander on the Persians’ chosen battleground. In the battle itself, Mazaios and his Babylonian cavalry nearly broke Alexander’s left wing, but the flight of the Persian king led to the collapse of the Persian army. Mazaios took refuge in Babylon. Alexander, upon his approach to the great metropolis, announced that Babylon would not be plundered, and Mazaios thereupon surrendered the city to him. Alexander rewarded Mazaios by retaining him as governor, a position he held until his death in 328 BC. Alexander made Babylon his royal seat, and there established one of his most important mints, where a large quantity of regular 'imperial' coinage was struck, including the impressive dekadrachms. In addition to the imperial coinages, Babylon also produced a substantial group of local coinages, some of which initially bore the name of Mazaios, and it is among these Babylonian issues that the present type is to be placed. Mazaios instituted two principal local coinages in Babylon, silver ‘lion staters’ and gold double darics (see Nicolet-Pierre, "Argent et or frappes en Babylonie entre 331 et 311 ou de Mazdai a Seleucos," in Travaux de numismatique grecque offerts a Georges Le Rider, pp. 285-305). For the 'lion staters’, as for the present type, Mazaios adapted designs from a coinage that he had issued in his earlier days as satrap of Cilicia: the 'lion staters' are modeled upon the ‘Myriandros’ staters with types Baaltars / Lion (SNG Levante 185-188). In gold, Mazaios struck double darics modeled after the familiar darics of the pre-Alexander Persian world, with a figure (Persian king or hero) running right and holding a spear and bow. The types of the present coin identify the issuer as Mazaios, and the omission of a legend is characteristic of the Babylonian context. Achaemenid gold was routinely issued without legend, as were many of Mazaios’ standard double darics (MIG Type 14 = BMC Persia XX, 1). Although the early ‘lion staters’ are normally struck in the name of Mazaios, some bore neither legend nor control mark (MIG Type 6 = BMC Persia XXI, 2). The present type is to be located alongside Mazaios’ other Babylonian coinages but it is clearly distinct from them. Perhaps it was an initial emergency issue that was later superseded, or perhaps it was a local variation for a special purpose. CNGTritonX, 412

Comprised of two original paintings by MHJ. Archival print available in varying sizes. BIO Meryl H. Joseph Visual Arts/Film SELECTED CAREER POSITIONS - Douglas Trumbull Productions (Berkshire Film/Media Commission, 2nd Unit Director, Costumes) - GreenPeasTV; AD, Production Coordinator, pr photography (2010) - New York Women in Film & Television; Director/Producer, video interviews for MuseAwards, Designing Women(Robin Wright Penn, Jim Jarmusch, Philip Glass, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers) - Simon’s Rock, Berkshires, MA; guest lecturer - New School, NYC: guest lecturer - Brooklyn College: guest lecturer - Williams College: guest lecturer - Programming Director and Board Member, New York Women in Film and Television, (2004 - current) - Featured Photographer, National Artistic Photography Campaign, Dentsu, USA - “Who Won Second Place at Omaha?” Random House - CITY FARMERS (screenings) - Time/Space Ltd, Hudson, NY - Williams College, (Williams, MA) - Metro Channel, (NYC) - Sierra Club Film Festival, (NYC) - Museum of Natural History, (NYC) - National Museum of Women in the Arts, (Washington, D.C.) - Premier, (Berlin, Germany) INTO THE MAINSTREAM (screenings) - Nickelodeon - Cine Golden Eagle - The Learning Channel - PRODUCTION DESIGN/LIGHTING (selected) - St. Louis Opera Company - The Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC) - Else Lasker-Schuler (Berlin, German) - Cinderella, directed by James Ivory (Wellesley College, MA) - Lucille Lortel’s White Barn Theatre (Wesport, CT) - The Manhattan Theatre Club (NYC) - The WPA (NYC) - Theatre Row (New York City) - EDUCATION - New York University, BA - Uffizi Galleries (Florence, Italy) SCULPTURE/PHOTOGRAPHY/PAINTINGS (selected solo/group) - 2009, Chronologies, (solo), Storefront Artist Project, Berkshires, MA - 2008, Cambridge School of Weston, We Are They (Weston, MA) exterior/interior installation (water, stone, glass, mixed media, cast bronze) - 2006, Featured artist: The Artful Mind - 2006, Spice, Harem Suites (Pittsfield, MA), (large-scale silver gelatin prints) - 2006, SKH Gallery, Weeping Forest (Gt. Barrington, MA) interior installation (moving water, stone, photographs) - 2006, New Marlboro Gallery, We Are They (MA), exterior installation, (moving water, mirrored glass, stone) - 2005, New Marlboro Gallery, We Are They (MA), exterior installation (first concept) birch wood, photography - 2004, New Marlboro Gallery, Safari Dreams (MA), (metallic powder, acrylic on board) - 2004, Choly Gallery, Ephemera (Provincetown, MA), (metallic powder, acrylic on board) - 2004, Howard Building Gallery: Mysteries of Found Objects (MA) interior light installation (antique fluorescent tubes, hand-made paper) - 2003, New Marlboro Gallery, Waterfall (MA), interior installation (metal, ceramic, moving water) - 2002, New Marlboro Gallery, Final Breath (MA), interior installation/sculpture/painting, (acrylic, metallic powder on board, steel; moving water) - 1998, Hannah Diehl Gallery, (Cologne, Germany) fragments of frescoes (mixed media, hand made paper, photography) - 1996, Welles Gallery, (Lenox Library, MA) silver gelatin prints - 1993, Spazi Contemporary Art, (Housatonic, MA), photography, large scale, silver gelatin prints - 1992, Humphrey Fine Art, (Soho, NYC), scrolls (silver gelatin prints, hand-made paper - 1991, Humphrey Fine Art, Harem Suites, (Soho, NYC), (large-scale silver gelatin prints) - 1990, Humphrey Fine Art, (Soho, NYC) - Humphrey Fine Art, (Greenport, NY) - 1986, Chiaroscuro Gallery, (Lenox, MA) - 1987, FotoForum, (NYC) - 1986, Berkshire Museum, (Pittsfield, MA) - 1979, Nikon House, (NYC)

2002 US 999 SILVER EAGLE OUNCE OZ $1 DOLLAR COIN BU SILVER NEWS:SILVER IS ON THE RISE.... Demand for silver is built on three main pillars: industrial and decorative uses, photography, and jewelry & silverware. Together, these three categories represent more than 95 percent of annual silver consumption. In 2007, 455.5 million ounces of silver were used for industrial applications, while over 128 million ounces of silver were committed to the photographic sector, 163.4 million ounces were consumed in the jewelry market, and 58.8 million ounces were used in the silverware market. Why is this indispensable metal in such demand? The reasons are simple. Silver has a number of unique properties and demand is continued to increase in the foreseeable future.