It weighs 4.0 Grams, is 21.7mm in Diameter, and tests as 98% gold with the rest silver with my XRF Gun. Any help is appreciated
It is an Abbasid gold dinar, possibly issued by caliph Al-Qahir, that's the name I think I can read at the lowest line of the lower picture. Could be wrong though. And he had a short reign: 932-934 AD. I think the date is 321 AH = 933 AD. Your upper picture is upside down, it should be like this.
I have no idea what coin that is but I am just curious how much you paid for it? I assume it was at the jewelry store you co-founded?
I am very new to reading these but I agree with @Pellinore I think the name in the bottom line of the reverse area legend is al-Qahir. It must be someone after Mamun because the outer marginal legend on the obverse was added after his reign. I am too new to these to give any sort of opinion on authenticity.
Yeah, I get all sorts of coins and jewelry. The US coins and many world coins I can identify, but this is way out of my wheelhouse. The guy only wanted gold price for it, so I figured I was ok. It came in with some common Morgan and Peace dollars, and a few Thaler restrikes.
Yes, al-Qahir, also citing the heir Abu'l-Qasim, Madinat al-Salam (Baghdad) mint, AH 321. Album 250.2.
@Gregg702, that is a fantastic coin. ...I'm So Loving it that this forum has this many people who are fluent, or even (at your own insistance) conversant with Arabic!!! ...Dang, Hats Off.
I haven't been focusing on Abbasid coins (apart from the early coppers), but they are often very beautiful and well-made: engraved by artists and struck with attention. Here's a contemporary gold coin of another islamic dynasty, a Fatimid dinar from 1029 AD that recently was put in another thread. Fatimids reigned in Egypt-North Africa mainly, Sicily also during one and a half century, and this dinar was issued in Mahdia, now in Tunisia. This is another, a dinar from Central Asia - of the contemporary Samanid dynasty, expertly engraved by one of very few contemporary artist who signed his name! and excellently struck, very round and regular. AV dinar Samanids. Nasr II b. Ahmad (301-331), Nishapur AH 327 (=938/9). Signed by engraver Abu Harith on obv. on 9 o’clock margin. 22.5 mm, 4.86 gr.