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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 24704348, member: 81887&quot;][ATTACH=full]1578109[/ATTACH] </p><p>Armenian-Sasanian.&nbsp; AR drachm (2.97 g, 31 mm).&nbsp; Imitation of Sasanian drachm of Hormazd IV (579-590), Year 6, struck probably in the second half of the 7th century CE.&nbsp; On reverse, for mintmark, &quot;ZwZwN&#039; in Pahlavi script.&nbsp; Zeno 313913 (this coin); Steve Album Auction 46, lot 43 (May 18-21, 2023).</p><p><br /></p><p>I previously wrote about another example of this coinage that I acquired in late 2019 (see <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sasanian-coin-from-scarce-mint-or-is-it-the-denomination.361981/#post-4578077" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sasanian-coin-from-scarce-mint-or-is-it-the-denomination.361981/#post-4578077">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/sasanian-coin-from-scarce-mint-or-is-it-the-denomination.361981/#post-4578077</a> ).&nbsp; The unusual mintmark ZwZwN has been interpreted as possibly representing the denomination, the Aramaic-derived &quot;zuz&quot; (plural &quot;zuzim&quot;) which is used in Jewish sources from the early centuries CE to describe the main denomination of silver coin, equivalent to a drachm or dirham.&nbsp; At that time, I concluded that &quot;ZwZwN&quot; was probably just a bonafide mintmark of Hormazd IV, possibly for the small city of Zuzan in Khorasan Province.&nbsp; However, after examining this new specimen and others, and further reading, I have changed my mind.&nbsp; I now believe that the &quot;ZwZwN&quot; coinage in the name of Hormazd IV was struck, probably in Armenia, well after the death of Hormazd IV with false dates, perhaps by local authorities without permission from the Sasanian kings or their Arab successors.&nbsp; There are some coins in the series that do closely resemble official issues of Hormazd IV, such as my previous coin, that may have been struck within the lifetime of Hormazd or shortly after his death.&nbsp; Later coins, such as the present example, deviate significantly from the normal official style, and a few late issues are known with additional Arabic inscriptions added to the design.&nbsp; (For examples, go to zeno.ru and use the search term &quot;ZwZwN&quot;.)&nbsp; I therefore now consider this coin, and the previous one, as &quot;Armenian-Sassanian&quot; coinage.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, I do still have questions about the alleged use of ZwZwN as a denomination rather than as a mintmark.&nbsp; Why would local Armenian issuers (whether official or not) suddenly feel the need to put the denomination on coins?&nbsp; Sasanian coins had been circulating in Armenia for centuries by this point, presumably everyone would have recognized the designs and would not need to be told &quot;this is a zuz&quot;.&nbsp; I don&#039;t have an alternative for what ZwZwN might have been intended to stand for, but I&#039;m still not convinced that it&#039;s the denomination.&nbsp; Regardless, this is an interesting coin that raises a lot of questions, and that might benefit from further research.&nbsp; Please post whatever you have that&#039;s related, or explain to me why I&#039;m wrong about this coin.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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