I went back and looked at the other Sasanid AR Drachm being sold by the dealer I bought the Hormazd IV from previously, and he made a good deal with some other interesting coins. The king is much more rough than the other coin, but based on a process of elimination, I THINK it may be 6th century Khusro I or another different Hormazd IV, based mainly on the top part of the crown, tassel, crescent with star on right, and star on left. No beard, and no telling the name. Mint is Gay/Jayy on the back. Got that part of the Pahlavi script. Year could be 24 on the reverse as well. If the year is 24, that would make it a Khusro I if all other assumptions are accurate. Welcome any input as the last thread on helped me a lot.
Glad you're continuing in this rewarding study. So: The crown, borders, etc. could fit either Khusro I or Hormazd IV. (There are subtle differences in their crowns that aren't well-preserved on your specimen.) The name before the bust is pretty terrible, all I can make out for sure is R which doesn't help us. I agree with your reading of the mint name. For the year, it definitely begins with HSh, which limits it to 18, 28, 38, or 48. Of these, I think 38 best fits your inscription, but in any case, any of these choices would only fit Khusro I as Hormazd I only goes up to Year 12, while Khusro I does go up to 48. So, I agree with your attribution to ruler and the mintmark, but differ on the precise date. Thanks for sharing, and please ask any other questions you may have.
Thanks, these coins really have my interest. Is there a better language resource for Pahlavi alphabet? I can speak conversational Persian-Farsi, and can read modern script, but the old alphabet is giving me problems. Besides the small size on the coins and messy writing, the standardization of letters is not easy with the online guides. I was hoping for a Khusro I as he was very important in the 6th century rivalry with the Eastern Romans. I'll be on the lookout for a better example for sure. The pre-Islamic and transitional coins are very interesting. I'd love to find a good standing Caliph / Abd-al Malik. Cheers!
Unfortunately, the Pahlavi script, to use the technical term, sucks. As you've already discovered, knowledge of modern Farsi doesn't really help, as the script is entirely different. Many letters are extremely similar to each other, and there's a lot of variation in how each letter can be written. Add to that the small size of coin inscriptions, plus weak strikes and poor preservation of the coins... I wish there was an easy way to learn, but if there is I haven't found it. Not sure if you are only planning to seek out coins locally, but if you are comfortable buying online I would recommend the VCoins site at vcoins.com . It's a showcase of many different dealers, many of whom specialize in ancients and some of whom sub-specialize in Persian and Islamic. Just use the main search bar, and it will show you relevant coins from all participating dealers' stocks. The prices tend to be mid-to-high retail, but the dealers are reputable, and you can find coins in all price ranges. (Make sure before you order that the dealer accepts your payment method- most will take PayPal, but a few, especially in Europe, only accept bank transfers, which can be expensive if you are in the US.)
According to Göbl, the obverse type of Hormazd IV has stars in the crescents. For Khusro I, no stars. Göbl II/2?
I know almost nothing about Sassanian coins. I like the resource below for identification of Sassanian coins. As you mentioned, the lack of stars (or empty crescents) are more consistent with Khusro I. If I understand correctly, the coin example in question below would therefore be most likely of Khusro I. https://www.beastcoins.com/Sasanian/Sasanian.htm Here would be an example of Hormazd IV. (Note crescent with stars at 3,6, and 9 o’clock.)
