Someone posted pictures of medieval Georgian coins, stating how unusual and sometimes how unobtainable and rare they are. I think this field of collecting deserves its own thread. Hopefully we will get to see some of these unusual Georgian bronzes or the exceedingly rare silver Drachms/Dirhems of Queen Rusudan. Below are two of the enigmatic silver Drachms/Dirhems of Queen Rusudan, from my collection. Queen Rusudan ruled from 1222 to 1245. Her silver Dirhems were minted in 1230 and they represent the last Georgian issues of "western style". Rusudan was a daughter of the great Queen Tamar. However, during her reign the kingdom was under intense pressure from Muslim invaders and she did not manage to halt the gradual decline of Georgia. While Rusudan's copper coins are the most plentiful of all the Georgian medieval coins, here silver coins (Dirhems and half-Dirhems) are very rare and the most sought after coins by collectors. Obv.: Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus, pallium and colobium and raising right hand in benediction, holds ornamented book of Gospels in left hand. Greek legend: ΙC ΧC. Marginal Georgian Asomtavruli legend: ႱႠႾႤႪႨႧႠႶႧႨႱႨႧႠႨႽႤႣႠႵჃႬ, in the name of God, was struck in the K’oronikon 450 (=1230). Rev.: In the centre of an ornamented frame, which is reminiscent of a badge depicted on queen Tamar’s coin dated by 1200 (T. Barnaveli thinks it is a “spearhead-like figure”), three Asomtavruli letters ႰႱႬ, i.e Rusudan. Marginal legend: ملكة الملكات جلال الدنيا والدين روسدان بنت تامار ظهير المسيح Queen of the Queens, glory of the world and faith, Rusudan, daughter of Tamar, champion of the Messiah. Kapanadze 77; Lang 14. The silver coinage of Rusudan, was the first precious metal coinage in Georgia in nearly 150 years. It was prompted by the Crusader conquest of Constantinople in 1204, which deprived Georgia of the source of its circulating gold and silver coins. Georgian chronicles refer to these coins as Botinati, after the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus III Botaniates, whose nomismata were copied here. For more information: https://geonumismatics.tsu.ge/public/en/catalogue/types?type=49
I have a tiny collection of Georgian coins, and I try to grab them when I can find them. That coin is one of the coins that is high on my want list, but alas, they are rarely seen in the US . The copper coins, at least some of them, are easier to find: Georgia: Giorgi IV Lasha (1208-1223) AE unit (Kap-66; Bennett-179) Obv: Design of six knots surrounding two-line central Mtavruli legend: ႢႨႻႤ / ႧႫႰႱႠ (Giorgi son of Tamar). Outside of knot design, circular Mtavruli legend: † ႱႾႤႪႨႧႠ ႶႧႠ ႨႵႬ ႽႤႣႠ ႥႺႾႪႱ ႠႫႱ ႵႩႱ ჃႪ († In the name of God, this coin was struck in the year 430 of the koronikon) Rev: Central four-line Arabic inscription: ملك الملوك (The King of kings,) جلال الدنيا و الدين (Glory of the world and faith,) كيوركى بن تامار (Giorgi, son of Tamar,) حسام المسيح (sword of the Messiah) Marginal Persian legend: بنام خداى پاك اين سيمرا زده اند بتاريح چهار صی وسی سال (In the name of God most pure, this coin was struck in the year 430) The Georgian year is encoded using the "Paschal cycle". This dating system is based on the creation date being March 22, 5604 BC. From this date, they ran through a 532-year cycle. So, Year 1 was March 22, 5604 BC for the 1st cycle. And the 13th cycle's Year 1 was March 22, 781 AD. For years 346 to 532, add 780 to obtain the corresponding year in AD. The year starts off at March 22nd for each AD year. So, 430 + 780 = March 22, 1210 AD.
Note that the Uyghur legends on the coin are designed so that the coin is rotated 90° counter-clockwise, whereas the Unicode encoding assumes 90° clockwise rotation. Georgian-Hulaguid: Demetre II/Arghun (1284–1291) AR dirham, Tiflis (Album 2151.2) Obv: Uyghur legend in four lines - ᠬᠠᠭᠨᠤ ᠨᠡᠷᠪᠡᠷ ᠠᠷᠭᠤᠨ ᠪ ᠳᠡᠯᠠᠳᠭᠡᠭᠦᠠᠯᠦᠤ ᠰᠡᠨ (Struck in the name of Khaqan Arghun-u); Arabic legend below - ارغون (Arghun) Rev: Within square, Arabic legend in four lines - بسم الاب و الابن و روح القدس اله واحد (In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Sprit - One God); Cross in lower part, date formula around Dim:21 mm, 2.40g
There is a second cross on the obverse which I failed to mention in the description. It is above ᠪ in ᠠᠷᠭᠤᠨ ᠪ (Arghun-u) on the far left of the third line...
Its the same coin type. There are several variations with decorations, but the fabric is the same. The cross is on your obverse, sticking out...
Cool, I never noticed. I picked that one up on a large collectors' market in Tiblisi and never really researched it any further. Thanks a lot.
The challenge is dating them as the four corners (12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00) on the reverse (or your obverse) are usually either off-flan or has a poor strike. "large collectors' market in Tiblisi"...very lucky!
My copy of Bennett is in storage at the moment, so attributions are a bit problematic. This is a work in progress as I need to get the Arabic legends around the margins... Great Mongols: Möngke Khan (1251-1260) AR Dirham, Tiflis, AH 656 (Bennett 263; Album 1977) Obv: Arabic legend in three lines - لا اله الا الله وحده لا شريك له (There is no God but Allah alone. There are no others with Him); tamga of Möngke in between legend Rev: Arabic legend in three lines - مونككا قا ان الاعظم العادل (Möngke Khan, the Great, the Just); Star of Solomon in between legend Dim: 22 mm, 2.56 g, 3 h
Giorgi IV Lasha 1208-1223 AE irregular fals 15.89 gr. Obverse: Asomtavruli legend in the centre of a wreathed frame: ႢႨႻႤ/ႧႫႰႱႠ Giorgi, son of Tamar. Marginal Asomtavruli legend: ႵႱႾႤႪႨႧႠႶႧႠႨႵႬႽႤႣႠႥႺႾႪႱႠႫႱႵႩႱჃႪ In the name of God, this coin was struck in the K’oronikon 430 (=1210). Reverse: Arabic legend in four lines: الملك الملوك جلال الدنيا والدين كيوركى بن تامار حسام المسيح King of the Kings, glory of the world and faith, Giorgi, son of Tamar, sword of the Messiah. Circle around. Persian legend outside the circle: بنام خداى پاك اين سيمرا زده اند بتاريح چهار صی وسی سا In the name of the most saint God this coin was struck in the year 430.
That is a very nice one! Getting these irregular fals is always tricky as there are hundreds of fakes out there. I have one from Queen Tamar that I will dig out. In the meantime: Georgia: Queen Rusudan (1223-1245) AE fals (Lang-13; Langlois-30) Obv: In center; Asomtavruli ႰႱႬ (RSN), standing for RuSudaNi, surmounted by the queen’s monogram being a part of the ornamental device. Surrounded by a linear border. Asomtavruli characters ႵႩႬჃႫႦ (K’KNUMZ, standing for the date formula K’oroniKoN UMZ, i.e. 447, which corresponds to 1227, the frozen date) are placed into the right, bottom and left compartments between the ornamental device and the linear border Rev: Name and titles of Rusudan in Arabic in four lines across field surrounded by a beaded or a linear border; الملكة الملوك والملكات; Queen of Kings and Queens جلال الدنيا والدين; Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith روسدان بنت تامار ظهير المسح; Rusudan, daughter of Tamar, Champion of the Messiah عزالله انصاره; May God increase [her] victories
Definitely, Abu Sa'id, but the mint, unfortunately, is not Tiblisi. Here is a similar coin from Tiblisi of Abu Sa'id. This is NOT my coin, but the mint name is on the obverse from 6:00 to 9:00, which is not the same on yours, but I can't read it...
The marginal legend on @Tejas's coin begins in a different position, at 3h. Unfortunately, the mint name is entirely off flan at 1h. What I do see is that the mint name occupies only a single margin segment unlike madinat tiflis on the coin posted by @Quant.Geek which occupies two.
