Anyone interested in Umayyad gold coins? Please share yours if you have. I have few Umayyad coins below. ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan or al-Walid I ibn 'Abd al-Malik. AH 65-96 / AD 685-715. AV Dinar (20mm, 4.26 g, 5h). Unnamed (Dimashq [Damascus]) mint. Dated AH 86 (AD 705/6). AGC I 43; Album 125 or 127; ICV 164. VF, toned, light roughness and deposits. From the Norman Frank Collection. THE UMAYYAD CALIPHATE, HISHAM, 105-125 AH / 724-743 AD, AR DIRHAM STRUCK AT THE MINT OF BALKH (RARE) IN THE YEAR 115 AH, MINT NAME REPEATED 3 TIMES ON THE OBVERSE MARGIN; UMAYYAD ERROR COIN: 'Abd al-Malik, 685-705, AR dirham (2.54g), Shaqq al-Taymara, AH83, A-126, Klat-205b, the date number "3" represented by the word athlath within initial alif instead of the more traditional thalath without the alif, not unusual for this mint, much adhesion, especially on the reverse, F-VF, R.
I don't have any gold, but I like Umayyad coins because they are symbols of major changes in history. They are attractive - revolutionary, new, pragmatic, matter-of-fact designs, and they are affordable - much more so than European coins of that era. I bought this quite ordinary silver dirham issued by Al Walid I in the AH year 90 = 709 A.D. because of its splendid preservation, and that from a very reputable American seller for only US$ 35. Mint: Wasit, that's 60 miles south of Baghdad. 26 mm, 2.92 gr.
@Pellinore Very Nice coin indeed. I totally agree with you on why Umayyad is one of most interesting coins as it related to a lot of changes that changed the geopolitics of the world for a very long time. It also related to holly shia history and events such as Karbala and death of Hussein pbuh. However, Umayyad coins can be very expensive as well. For example that Umayyad gold I got I paid 1500 USD for it which is expensive compared to many gold of same era for byzantine. Also There are some silver coins for rare mints that can go to 1000 USD such as Al-Bab, Ifriqiyeh, Arminiyah, etc
Very nice illustration of the purety of the Umayyad coinage ! I don´t have many of this category to show, especially the gold falls beyond my scope and budget. I especially like the Balkh Dirham, for its use of the city name as a decorative border element. In later times this decorative use of calligraphy becomes even more pronounced. To illustrate that another Balkh Dirham (Album-1719 group). The word "Muhammad" in the left centre carved with exquisite geometric refinement.
@THCoins yes you are right about balkh mint and that is why I got that coin. also I like your coin I have one in worse condition than yours this is from time of Muhammad khawrizmshah .
Very nice gold @arashpour !! I'd like someday to acquire an Islamic gold piece. At present my only Islamic coin is this one of Hisham هشام بن عبد الملك who was the 4th Caliph of Damascus after your al-Walid I: ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik. AH 105-125 / AD 724-743. AR Dirham, Wasit mint. Dated AH 122 (AD 739/40). Obv.: Kalima in three lines across field; mint and date in outer margin; five annulets in outer border. Rev.: "Umayyad Symbol" (Sura 112) in four lines across field; "Second Symbol" (Sura 9.33) in outer margin; five annulets in outer border. 26 mm, 2.92 g, 8h Reference: Klat 715; Album 137; ICV 297. Ex. CNG 380 lot 547 Ex. @Sallent Collection
@dadams Such beauty I really like the coin you posted it is Wasit which is common mint but condition is really nice with some traces of corrosion on periphery. Also the balkh coin I posted above is for same ruler as yours which is Hisham ibn Abd-al-malik and the gold coin is for his brother al-walid I
Note also that it weights exactly to its intended weight! In fact the same as two sterling pennies - but you would be hard pressed to find a penny that weighed exactly 1.46g........ The Caliphs took the value of their money very seriously
@EWC3 That is an interesting observation! I also noted many dirhams of Umayyad to be 2.9 But is there a range here or all authentic examples must be 2.9? I noticed same is the fact on siglos of achaemenid. They somehow all are 5.3
The situation is a little complicated. The official standard seems to be 60 grains (within a grain system that still existed in Egypt in the 19th century, and would theoretically exactly fall somewhere between 2.92g and 2.93g). However, it seems dirhems remained legal tender while their weight remained above 2/3 mithcal thus c. 4.25g x 2/3 = c. 2.83g. This seems to have consequences - most circulated Umayyad and early Abbasid dirhems are slightly clipped. So to judge the issue weight you have to look at nice minty ones like the one I pointed to. As to exactness, it varies with mint and indeed mint master. Miles judged the best mint masters at the best mints would manage a spread of just 2.91 to 2.95 for all their coins, and 2.92 or 2.93 for most of them. I have checked this to some extent - it seems to me to be true for Umayyad Wasit most of the time, and sometimes for the Abbasids, eg Baghdad just after 190H. Other times, (or at minor mints) the spread might be as much as 2.88g to 2.97g All this finished after about 210H - when the Arabs abolished weight standards for coins - but that is another story
