Sasanian silver coins are broad and thin with, almost always, the head of the king right and a fire altar on the reverse. Here is the most common type that leaps out as different: 29 mm. 4.30 grams. It has jugate busts on the left facing a smaller bust on the right. The king is Barham II, also spelled Varhan II. His reign is interesting enough that I wrote a short web page on it: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Sasanian/Bahram.html Rather than repeat it here, I encourage you to go to the page. Please show us some Sasanian coins.
As you wish. I took this photo to show how the Islamic dirham followed the Sassanian drachm. First is a drachm of Shapur I 240-271 AD. Rev: a Zoroastrian fire altar with two attendants. 4.4 grams. This ruler captured the Roman emperor Valerian. Manichaeism was preached by the prophet Mani at Shapur’s court but he remained a Zoroastrian. Purchased from Stephen M. Huston 3/1993 Next is a drachm of Khusro II 591-628 AD with a fire altar reverse. Regnal year 18. The mint is a puzzle. Warden says Arrajan, but other information would suggest “Weh Antioch Khusrau” i.e., “better than Antioch, Khusro (built it) meaning a district of Ctesiphon settled by Khusro with Antiochene captives. He invaded Roman territory after the murder of Maurice Tiberius by Focas. By 626 AD his forces combined with the Avars and Slavs to besiege Constantinople. Heraclius repulsed his forces, recaptured all lost Roman territory and the True Cross which Khusro had plundered from Jerusalem. His son revolted and had all his brothers and ultimately his father executed. The ensuing chaos primed the Sassanid empire for the Muslim conquest. Purchased from Warden Numismatics 4/2015 Next is a dirham of the tenth Umayyad Caliph Hisham 724-743 AD, AH 119 of the Wasit mint. Wasit was a garrison town in Iraq. Album 137. During his reign was fought the Battle of Tours 732 AD. Purchased from William Warden 11/1999
On my example the female (Queen/Anahita) bust has the horse-topped crown, and the small bust (prince/Mithra) is offering a wreath: Other differences: the positions of the figures on the reverse, the right hand figure is (allegedly) female with an eagle-topped crown, a bull's head in place of the three dots with the dots moved to the altar. There's a bewildering number of varieties!
A common type, but the only Sasanian I have :$ SASANIAN KINGS. Šābuhr (Shahpur) I AD 240-272. AR Drachm (27mm, 4.36 g, 3h). Mint VIII (“Susa”?). Phase 1b, circa AD 244-252/3. Bust right, wearing diadem and mural crown with korymbosand earflaps / Fire altar; flanked by two attendants wearing mural crowns. SNS type IIc/1a, style K and pl. 27, A28 and A29 (same dies); Sunrise –. VF, areas of toning Weight 4.36g Diameter 27mm
