These ancient Islamic coins are very difficult for me to find history on to classify... what are the best sites to use? I was told this was a Ghaznavid Samanid Simjurid multiple dirham from AH301 - 421 but when I read about the Samanid Empire it was much later.
There was a recent good thread here about multiple dirhams. I haven't found any easy way to identify and catalog these by mint or caliph, but see the discussion on the thread.
You seem to be confusing AH and AD dates. AH 301 to 421 equals AD 913 to 1030. That said, the multiple dirhams of the dynasties you mention tend to be stylistically very similar. The only sure way to attribute medieval Islamic coins is to read the inscriptions which typically (but not always) include ruler, mint and date. Unfortunately, the inscriptions on the coin above are muddled due to the strike. The mint name and ruler might be worked out with some effort.
@Ed Snible thank you very much for the pointer to that threat--it is incredible. I'm a beginner when it comes to these ancients coins. I love them and they provide a great way to learn the history of an area. Good books listed in the thread as well. Thank you!
