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Message:: [QUOTE="OutsiderSubtype, post: 6550754, member: 112457"][ATTACH=full]1262701[/ATTACH] Abbasid Caliphate. Time of Harun al-Rashid. Dated 190 AH (805-806 CE). Silver dirham. 2.81g. Ma'din al-Shash mint. Cites al-Ma’mun ‘Abd Allah, as both son of the caliph and second heir to the caliphate. Also names 'Ali (b. Isa b. Mahan), the Governor of Khurasan. "Nasr" at bottom of reverse area legend. Album 219.11. I am not sure if "Nasr" meaning "victorious" is meant to be an epithet for the governor Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan. Leu Numismatik described it that way when they listed some similar coins in their recent auction and I'm sure they have better references than I do, so that is probably what it is. The only other explanation I can think of is that it is a control mark. Other Abbasid coins from this period have a variety of words and marks that are specific to the mint. Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan seems to have been quite a character. He was a corrupt and unpopular governor who bribed Harun al-Rashid with a huge treasure (worth 30 million gold dinars, so like 600 million of these silver dirhams) to stay in office. He was eventually ousted after his conduct led to a major rebellion. He supported al-Amin in the civil war after al-Rashid's death, but his army was defeated and he was killed.[/QUOTE]