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LOT 2712
Estimate
GBP (£) 9,000 - 12,000
EUR (€) 10,680 - 14,240
USD ($) 11,590 - 15,450
World Coins - Islamic - Abbasid - al-Saffah - 132 AH - Gold Dinar Dated 132 AH
First period, without mint name; Obv: central inscription in three lines with perimeter inscription. Rev: as obverse. 4.21 grams.
Extremely fine. Rare.
PROVENANCE:
Ex Baldwins, sale 19 'Classical Rarities of Islamic Coinage', 25 April 2012, lot 51 (with catalogue page printout).
LITERATURE:
Bernardi 51; Wilkes 374.
FOOTNOTES:
The Abbasid revolution was displayed in the coinage by substituting the words of Qur’an surah 112 with the second phrase of the kalima, Muhammad rasul Allah in the reverse field on both their dinars and dirhams. In this way the Abbasids emphasised their kinship with the messenger of God, Muhammad. This is the first Abasid dinar struck, without mint name; there are two distinct styles of calligraphy in the dies that struck the dinar coinage of al-Saffah; the first is cruder and less refined than the second and this example, with its elegance and precision, may have originated at the caliphal court while the cruder type may have served the needs of rich merchants and the military.
