After a lot of hesitating, I finally bought a good Hormizd IV drachm. This Sasanian king reigned Iran from 579-590, between his successful father Xusro I (or Khosrow) and his proud son Xusro II. But Hormizd was a not so successful in-between. He fought wars at all sides of his realm. His coins are much like those of his father, but an infallible difference is the star in the edge crescents. Hormizd somehow has rather hollow eyes. Often his coins are worn, and that accents those ghostly eyes. But this portrait is more like that of his father. It's nicer than the picture shows, with lustre and all. I paid far too much, I think, but hey, a nice large silver drachm helps forgetting that.
Nice example, better then mine. Ohrmazd (Hormizd) IV (579-590 A.D.) AR Drachm O: Crowned bust right. R: Fire altar flanked by attendants; star and crescent flanking flames. WYHC mint (Weh-az-Amid-Kavad). Dated RY 3 (582 A.D.) 3.01g 27mm Göbl Type I/1
My standards for such coins favor those with clear mint and date legends on the reverse and coins that have not been clipped around the edges. I am away from home so I can't read the legends but these seem clear. I can't tell about the edges. I know nothing about the relative desirabilities of various dates and mints but just try to buy ones I did not already have. My two HIV:
Quite! I forgot to mention the details. Mint DA (= Darabgerd), RY 8 = 586 AD and 4.9 gr., which is exactly right for this type.
Nice coin! I don't have any Sassanid pieces yet, just contemporaneous Byzantine pieces. It would be nice to have one.
Just a very nice coin @Pellinore ... well toned, great detail. I only have one Sassanian silver...you have seen it before. It does not have the panache as yours does! Your toning is really great! Persia Sassanian Ardashir III 628-629 CE AR Drachm 36mm 3.85g Zoroastrian Fire Alter Gobl II-1 yr 2 Delta
These are great big fun coins to collect. They are hard to find at reasonable prices for not clipped, legible and good strikes. A lot of the coins that are not Khusro II start at $100 if they are in attractive shape. They seem generally common until you actually try to find a nice one that won't break the bank. Nice pickup!
I understand that the mint mark is on the reverse at 3:00. Where is the regnal year? Is that it at 9:00? Also, is the name of the ruler on the obverse on the right side? Finally, what language is the writing? Is there somewhere on the web that I can learn the different letters and numbers?
Quite, the mintmark is 3 o'clock in bold lettering, the year is 9 o'clock. The ruler's name is on the obverse right. This is all in Pahlavi, also spelled Pehlevi, or Middle-Persian. This is a pretty basic website: Beastcoins. There are a few excellent books that may help you collecting Sasanian coins. The easiest to use is the quite recent book by Yngve Karlsson: Sasanian Silver Coins. Sasanian Numismatic History with Identification Tools and a Catalogue of Sasanian Coins in Private Collections. Göteborg, Mixtum Publishing, 2015. It's only about silver coins. Gold coins are difficult (many forgeries around, beware: especially those of Xusro II, year 36) and expensive: not easy to find one under $2000. But copper is very interesting, rather different from the silver, and often more expensive.
It's not Pillinore but Pellinore, see here. I once read a book about King Arthur, that's where the name comes form.
I apologize for mistyping your handle, but I'm glad I did because I enjoyed the link to the Wikipedia entry about Pellinore. I've been fascinated by the King Arthur legend for years and read many a bedtime story about him to my kids when they were young. I even wrote a novel about King Arthur accidentally getting reborn to a single mother living in a trailer park in rural Indiana--needs some serious rewriting, though. Wouldn't it be way cool to figure out who the historical figure was that inspired the King Arthur legend? And to own a coin of his?
Beautifull coin Pellinore! Also to Doug/ Alegandron/ Icerain/ Severus Alexander! I have a Hormizd I from Boxlo Mint/ Bactria 270-300AD
