Arab-Sasanian (Umayyad Caliphate). Probably Bishapur or Istakhr mint. AE pashiz (0.44 g, 15 mm). No date or mint on coin. Obverse: Sasanian-style bust based on Khusro II, in front Arabic "baraka" (blessing), behind Pahlavi inscription "xvarrah apzud" (may glory increase). Reverse: Fire-altar with two attendants, Arabic inscriptions "bismillah" (In the Name of God) and "rabbi allah" (God is my Lord). Gyselen 66. This coin: Pars Coins Auction 19, lot 292 (October 4, 2021). The earliest Islamic coin issues copied the coins of their defeated Byzantine and Sasanian foes. In the formerly Sasanian territories, silver drachms were near-identical copies of the Sasanian coins with just the legends changed, but copper coinage was a more locally-managed affair, and there were many different designs used, of which I've posted some examples before (Gopadshah [man-headed bull], simurgh [mythical bird], praying person). This type, however, is a straightforward version of the standard design on Sasanian coins, and other than the legends could pass as pre-Islamic. While three out of the four phrases on the coin are in Arabic and are typically Islamic, the fourth (Xvarrah apzud) is in Pahlavi Persian script and is holdover from the Sasanian period; the concept of xvarrah (glory) was closely tied to the idea of rightful kingship. This does not seem to be a rare type- Gyselen lists 18 examples in both public and private collections in her 2000 book, which for Arab-Sasanian bronzes is not such a low number. While this isn't a very exciting pictorial type, I like the coin for its decent preservation and smooth, attractive surfaces, and it is still important as a bridge between Sasanian and Islamic coin types. Please post your Arab-Sasanian coins, or whatever else is related.
@Parthicus, thanks for another interesting post and coin. Here's a relevant coin that I have only tentatively attributed Islamic, Umayyad Caliphate, time of Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan, AH 41-60 / AD 661-680, AR Drachm, Khosrau type Obv: Crowned Sasanian-style bust right; bismillah and rabbi in Arabic in outer margin; pellets before rabbi Rev: Fire altar with ribbons and attendants; star and crescent flanking flames
