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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 24698029, member: 81887&quot;][ATTACH=full]1576779[/ATTACH] </p><p>Arab-Sasanian, Eastern Sistan series.&nbsp; AR drachm (3.48 g, 31 mm).&nbsp; No date visible, c. late 8th century CE.&nbsp; Obverse: Imitation of Sasanian obverse of Khusro II with his cartoonish bust, name before in Pahlavi script; in margin, Arabic inscription &quot;Bismillah rabi&quot; (In the Name of God, Lord) and uncertain name, possibly Umar.&nbsp; Reverse: Imitation of Sasanian reverse with fire-altar and two attendants, blundered mintmark SK (Sakastan), date either missing or too blundered to read.&nbsp; This coin: Pars Coins Bargain eSale #5, lot 137 (July 3, 2023).</p><p><br /></p><p>The earliest Islamic silver coins were based on copies of Sasanian drachms. This template was replaced in most of the Islamic world around 700 AD as the &quot;post-reform&quot; silver dirhams entered circulation, with a novel design containing only Arabic inscriptions. However, Sassanian-style silver coinage persisted along the edges of the Muslim world for many decades.&nbsp; One of the latest regions under Muslim control to issue Sassanian-Based coins was Eastern Sistan, a region along the border of modern Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.&nbsp; In a previous post, I showed how the late Sasanian coinage gradually evolved into the late Eastern Sistan type:</p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-cartoonification-of-khusro-ii-is-complete.316004/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-cartoonification-of-khusro-ii-is-complete.316004/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-cartoonification-of-khusro-ii-is-complete.316004/</a></p><p>This coin is part of the late series in that progression.&nbsp; There appears to be a name in the obverse border, which may be a local governor or a mint official; the auctioneer suggests it may be Umar, but I have trouble seeing that on the given coin.&nbsp; There are a number of names that have been reported on Eastern Sistan coins, but almost all are unknown to history anyway.&nbsp; I also have trouble reading any sort of date on the coin; the auctioneer suggests is is 100 (&quot;sad&quot; in Persian), but I don&#039;t see it, and even if the date is in the post-Yazdegard Era rather than post-Hijra it seems too early given the style of the coin.&nbsp; Regardless of the uncertainty on exactly who issued the coin and when, I find the primitive style appealing, and what fun would life be without a few mysteries?&nbsp; At a final bid of just $36, the price was also very appealing.&nbsp; Please post any related coins you have, or suggest alternate readings of the Pahlavi or Arabic inscriptions.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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