Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1
Date: 2023-10-19 00:00:00
Lots: 233
Total starting: $ 0.00
Total realized: $ 0.00 (+0.00%)
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Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 43
Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (25.1mm, 2.71 g, 6h). Maysan mint. Dated AH 80 (AD 699/700). Klat 629; al-'Ajlan 80/30. Light graffiti on reverse, struck from a worn reverse die. Near VF. Rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 44
Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (25mm, 2.40 g, 1h). Revolutionary Period Issue. Talabarak or Tanbarak (?) mint. Dated AH 133 (AD 750/1). Obverse margin: ◉ la ◉ hukm ◉ illah ◉ lillah. Klat 198; Wurtzel 32; al- 'Ajlan -. Broken and glued, minor edge losses, some staining and corrosion. Near Fine. Very rare. This very rare issue represents the only appearance of this mint-name in the coinage record. Once tentatively read as Bayburd, Album has more recently proposed that the mint should be read as Tanbarak, which he interpreted as a version of the place known in Parthian times as Tambrax, located in the ancient province of Hyrcania. Support from this view comes from the older Greek form of this place-name: Talabrokē mentioned by Strabo, who describes Ταλαβρόκη as one of the four chief towns of Hyrcania. Rather than 'Tanbarak', which has neither the 'm' of 'Tambrax' nor the 'l' of 'Talabrokē', the mint-name on this coin might therefore be better read as Talabarak, which would fit Strabo's form perfectly.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 45
Umayyad Caliphate. Pb Seal (35.9mm, 17.86 g). Uniface. Legend in three lines: li-'Abd / al-Malik Amir / al-Mu'minin. Cf. Leu 4 (25 May 2019), lot 903. Edge split. Fine. Very rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 46
Umayyad Caliphate. Pb Seal (21mm, 6.21 g, 0h). A rectangular lead seal naming al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf (AH 40-95). Legend in three lines: Allah yaw- / man al-Hajjaj / mukhlasan, 'Allah suffices al-Hajjaj completely'. Cf. Morton & Eden 73 (23 April 2015), lot 33 for a circular bronze weight with an identical legend. Internal string canal running diagonally from 3h to 6h; impression of cloth on reverse. Good VF. Very rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 47
'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Saffah. AH 132-136 / AD 749-754. AV Dinar (17.3mm, 3.88 g, 8h). Without mint-name. Dated AH 132 (AD 749/50). SICA 3, 1 (same reverse die); Bernardi 51; Album 210; . Lightly clipped, scrape on obverse. Fine. Very rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 48
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mahdi. AH 158-169 / AD 775-785. AR Dirham (26mm, 2.92 g, 7h). Al-Yamama mint. Dated AH 166 (AD 782/3). Reverse field: letter 'ayn above field, citing the caliph and Hajjar below. Lowick 574; Album 215.1. Cleaned. VF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 49
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mahdi. AH 158-169 / AD 775-785. AR Dirham (22.5mm, 2.71 g, 8h). Al-Yamama mint. Dated AH 168 (AD 784/5). Reverse field: citing 'Abdallah b. Sa'id. Lowick 581; Album 215.1. Lightly clipped. VF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 50
'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Ma'mun. AH 194-218 / AD 808-833. AV Dinar (19.6mm, 4.06 g, 4h). Madinat al-Salam mint. Dated AH 198 (AD 813/4). Obverse field: la ilaha illa / Allah wahdahu / la sharik lahu / Madinat al-Salam / Reverse field: lillah / Muhammad / rasul / Allah / Dhu'l-Riyasatayn. Bernardi 99Jh; Lowick 176; Album 222.2. Fine. Rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 51
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Ma'mun. AH 194-218 / AD 808-833. AR Dirham (25.7mm, 2.68 g, 8h). Al-Muhammadiya mint. Dated AH 204 (AD 819/20). Reverse field: lillah / Muhammad rasul Allah / al-Ma'mun khalifat Allah / mimma amr bihi'l-amir al-Rida / wali ahd amir al-muslimin / Dhu'l-Riyasatayn / letter mim. Lowick 1970; Miles 105B; Album 224A. Cleaned, traces of staining remaining. VF. Very rare. Al-Ma'mun's appointment of the Shi'ite 'Ali b. Musa al-Rida as heir to the caliphate represented an attempt to reconcile the Sunni and Shi'a branches of Islam. This extremely rare variety omits al-Rida's personal name, 'Ali ibn Musa, and has annulets rather than Qur'an 30:3-4 in the obverse margin. As Miles notes, it was struck posthumously after the death of al-Rida in AH 203.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 52
'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Ma'mun. AH 194-218 / AD 808-833. AR Dirham (24.6mm, 2.45 g, 9h). Pre-Reform type with single obverse marginal legend. Madinat al-Salam mint. Dated AH 217 (AD 832/3). Obverse margin: ...bi-Madinat al-Salam sanat sab'at [letter alif] 'ashr wa mi'atayn (sic) / Reverse field: al-'adl / Muhammad / rasul / Allah / lillah. Unpublished. Small edge clip, dark surfaces. Good Fine. Extremely rare, apparently unpublished. While the legends on this coin are otherwise literate and correctly engraved, the date legend, which has the unit in the feminine form ending in ta marbuta followed by an isolated letter alif is inexplicable. Lowick records two dirhams of 'Madinat al-Salam' dated AH 212 and 213 bearing the additional legend salla Allah 'alayhi wa salam above and below the reverse field, which he suggested might be contemporary imitations struck in North Africa; it is possible that the present coin may be something similar.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 53
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mu'tasim. AH 218-227 / AD 833-842. AV Dinar (20mm, 4.19 g, 4h). San'a mint. Dated AH 224 (AD 838/9). Bernardi 151El; Album 1051. Tiny edge clip. VF. Rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 54
'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Mu'tasim. AH 218-227 / AD 833-842. AV Dinar (20.4mm, 4.14 g, 11h). Surra man ra'a mint. Dated AH 226 (AD 840/1). Bernardi 151Jc = Miles, RIC 140 (same obverse die). Edge shaved. Near VF. Excessively rare, apparently the second published specimen. This appears to be the earliest known date for gold dinars struck at Samarra, located on the banks of the Tigris about 75 miles north of Baghdad. Founded as the new caliphal capital by al-Mu'tasim in AH 221, Samarra remained the seat of the caliphate for about sixty years before al-Mu'tadid moved it back to Baghdad. Today, the historical city of Samarra is designated a World Heritage Site, famous for the spiral minaret of its Great Mosque.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 55
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mutawakkil. AH 232-247 / AD 847-861. AV Dinar (19.9mm, 4.08 g, 11h). Dimashq mint. Dated AH 242 (AD 856/7). Obverse field: citing the heir al-Mu'tazz in fourth line. Bernardi 158Ge (this date not listed); Album 229.3. Pin-marks in reverse field, slightly bent flan. Near EF. Of the highest rarity, apparently unpublished and believed unique.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 56
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mutawakkil. AH 232-247 / AD 847-861. AV Dinar (20.4mm, 4.23 g, 3h). Dimashq mint. Dated AH 245 (AD 859/60). Obverse field: citing the heir al-Mu'tazz in fourth line. Bernardi 158Ge (this date not listed); Album 229.3. Minor marks. Good VF. Of the highest rarity, apparently unpublished and believed unique.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 57
'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Mutawakkil. AH 232-247 / AD 847-861. AR Donative Dirham (25.4mm, 2.94 g, 11h). Medallic type with broad margins. Surra man ra'a mint. Dated AH 238 (AD 852/3). Obverse field: citing the heir Abu 'Abdallah in fourth line. Ilisch DI 1; Album 230B. Neatly pierced in plain outer margin. Good VF. Rare. Ex Stephen Album Rare Coins 16 (17 May 2013), lot 163.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 58
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Muntasir. AH 247-248 / AD 861-862. AV Dinar (16mm, 4.12 g, 1h). Surra man ra'a mint. Dated AH 248 (AD 862). Bernardi 159Jc (this coin cited); Album 231. Minor edge marks. VF. Extremely rare. Ex Sotheby's (October 1986), lot 668.The eldest of son of al-Mutawakkil (AH 232-247), al-Muntasir was initially designated heir apparent to the caliphate, but his father later came to prefer another of his sons, al-Mu'tazz. The rivalry between the two brothers during the final years of al-Mutawakkil's reign saw rival factions coalesce around each. Al-Muntasir was backed by the Turkish mercenary troops and commanders of the Palace guard, while al-Mu'tazz's supporters came from the traditional 'Abbasid aristocracy. Tensions between all involved continued to escalate, and by AH 247 al-Mutawakkil's behaviour towards al-Muntasir had gone from being disrespectful to become actively threatening. Perhaps seeing that the situation was irretrievable, al-Muntasir decided to strike first. A band of Turkish guards murdered al-Mutawakkil in the audience hall of the palace, and al-Muntasir was named caliph, backed by Turkish swords. Thus began the nine-year period known as the 'Anarchy at Samarra,' which nearly led to the downfall of the 'Abbasids. Once established as caliph, al-Muntasir's Turkish commanders urged him to compel his brothers to renounce their claims to the caliphate. Al-Muntasir had little choice but to acquiesce, and both al-Mu'tazz and another brother, al-Mu'ayyad, had little choice but to obey. In the event, however, al-Muntasir's reign was to last less than six months, and he died early in AH 248 at the age of twenty-five. His death may have been the result of natural causes, but some accounts inevitably suspected foul play and one story relates that a physician murdered him with a poisoned lancet. He was succeeded by his cousin al-Musta'in, who was proclaimed caliph by the Turkish guard in the face of opposition from the supporters of al-Mu'tazz. This discontent was suppressed by the Turks, with considerable bloodshed, but al-Mu'tazz's time would come. Because of the brevity of his reign, al-Muntasir's gold coinage is the rarest of any 'Abbasid caliph. This is highlighted by their absence from the Kazan collection of Islamic gold coins, where the cataloguer noted that 'The dinars of al-Mustansir are extraordinarily rare, therefore a silver dirham has been included to represent this caliph.'
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 59
'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Muntasir. AH 247-248 / AD 861-862. Lead token, 'value 24' (24.5mm, 8/96 g). Octagonal, with scalloped faces. In the name of 'Ali b. Musa. Obverse: eight-line legend arranged in 'clock-face' pattern, only partially read but apparently citing the 'Abbasid caliph al-Muntasir / Reverse: sanat sab'a wa arba'in wa miatayn around arbat / 'Ali ibn Musa / wa 'ashrin . Cf. Stephen Album Rare Coins 35 (12 September 2019), lot 953 (a comparable lead token of 'value 24' dated AH 282). Good VF. Very rare, apparently unpublished.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 60
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mu'tazz. AH 252-255 / AD 866-869. AV Dinar (19.4mm, 4.22 g, 8h). Makka mint. Dated AH 252 (AD 866). Bernardi 162Ef; Album 235.1. Minor edge marks. Fine. Extremely rare, only two examples recorded by Bernardi. This coin bears witness to a series of dramatic events in Mecca during the years AH 251-2, which al-Tabari describes as follows: In this year, Isma'il b. Yusuf b. Ibrahim b. 'Abdallah b. al-Hasan b. 'Ali b. Abi Talib rebelled in Mecca, forcing Ja'far b. al-Fadl b. 'Isa b. Musa, the governor, to flee. Isma'il b. Yusuf looted Ja'far's residence as well as the residences of the government's men, killing the troops and a group of Meccans. He also seized the funds that had been brought for repairing the water fountain, the gold kept at the Ka'bah, and the gold, silver, perfumes and coverings of the Ka'bah which were in the city treasure house. He also confiscated some two hundred thousand dinars from the people, opened Mecca to looting, and burned some of it...Fifty days later he left the city and went to Medina where 'Ali b. al-Husayn b. Isma'il, its governor, had gone into hiding. But Isma'il returned to Mecca and laid siege to it until its population began to die from starvation and thirst. Prices reached as high as one dirham for three awaq of bread and four dirhams for a ratl of meat; the price of a drink of water reached three dirhams. After inflicting all kinds of calamities on the populace of Mecca, he left for Jiddah fifty-seven days later. On the day of 'Arafat, Isma'il b. Yusuf came to the place of assembly, where there were Muhammad b. Ahmad b. 'Isa b. al-Mansur, known as Ka'b al-Baqar, and 'Isa b. Muhammad al-Makhzumi, commander of the Mecca garrison. Both had been sent by al-Mu'tazz to the city. He engaged them in combat, causing the death of some eleven hundred pilgrims. Subjected to robbery, the people fled to Mecca and did not assemble at 'Arafat during the night or day; however, Isma'il and his followers did assemble there before returning to Jiddah and looting everything there. (al-Tabari XXXV, 218-220, translated by George Saliba, SUNY Press, 1985). Al-Tabari tells us nothing more about, beyond briefly noting the death of Isma'il b. Yusuf during the year AH 252. But other accounts report that Ja'far b. al-Fadl was compelled to strip the gold from the Maqam Ibrahim in order to strike coins during the defence of Mecca against Isma'il b. Yusuf. Thus it is possible that the gold used to strike this coin may have come from the Maqam Ibrahim, the stone which according to Islamic tradition bears the impression of the Prophet Abraham's footprints from the time when he constructed the Ka'bah, and which was embellished with gold by al-Mahdi and al-Mutawakkil.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 61
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Muhtadi. AH 255-256 / AD 869-870. AV Dinar (17.7mm, 2.94 g, 2h). San'a mint. Dated AH 256 (AD 869/70). Reverse field: lillah / Muhammad / rasul Allah / al-Muhtadi billah / amir al-mu'minin. Bernardi 167El; Bikhazi 39-41; Qatar 1244; Album 237. Curved flan, traces of mounting on edge. Good VF. Extremely rare. San'a is one of the rarest mints for dinars issued by the short-lived caliph al-Muhtadi.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 62
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Muhtadi. AH 255-256 / AD 869-870. AV Dinar (20.7mm, 4.24 g, 1h). Madinat al-Salam mint. Dated AH 256 (AD 869/70). Bernardi 165Jh; Qatar 1246; Album 237. Near Fine. Rare.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Islamic Auction 4 - Session 1 . 63
'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mu'tamid. AH 256-279 / AD 870-892. AV Dinar (23.1mm, 3.80 g, 10h). Al-Rayy mint. Dated AH 270 (AD 883/4). Obverse field: la ilaha illa / Allah wahdahu / la sharik lahu / al-Muwaffaq billah / Reverse field: lillah / Muhammad / rasul / Allah / al-Mu'tamid 'ala-'llah / Dhu'l-Wizaratayn. Bernardi type 176; Album 239.3. Edge marks, central flan split, some tooling in fields. Good Fine. Of the highest rarity, apparently unpublished. The important city of Rayy was active as a mint for Arab-Sasanian and Umayyad silver coins, but it was during the latter half of the second century, by which time the city had been officially renamed as al-Muhammadiya, that it became one one of the most prolific mints in the Islamic world. The new name honoured the future caliph al-Mahdi Muhammad, who was based in Rayy in his capacity of Governor of the East when formally appointed as heir to the caliph al-Mansur in AH 147.. From the late 140s until the 430s, the city almost invariably appears on the coinage with the mint-name al-Muhammadiya and, as Miles notes, 'The occasional reappearance of the name Rayy in the 'Abbasid period can hardly be inadvertent' (Miles, Rayy p. 32). Bernardi records just a single gold coin of Rayy issued before AH 334: a dinar dated AH 293 on which the mint-name is reportedly Madinat al-Rayy (Bernardi 226Ma, citing a unique specimen in Istanbul, published by Artuk but not illustrated). But it is difficult to see why a dinar of al-Rayy should have been struck in AH 270, although the mint-name itself is unambiguous. An 'Abbasid dinar of al-Muhammadiya is known dated AH 268 (Bernardi 177Mh), and Miles reports another dated AH 275, but no coins at all appear to be known for the seven years between. Miles suggests that the control of Rayy was disputed between several local warlords during these years. The Turkish general Adhkutekin b. Asantekin occupied the city twice: first in AH 266, and again in AH 272 after defeating the 'Alid ruler, Muhammad b. Zayd. But there are reasons to suspect that there may have been a power vacuum in Rayy around the year AH 270. There was civil war among the 'Alids in this year following the death of al-Hasan b. Zayd, while the Dulafids, who had held power in Jibal during the 260s as vassals of the Saffarids, abruptly transferred their allegiance to the caliph in AD 270 when faced by the prospect of a caliphal army entering their domains to march against the Saffarids in the East. The caliph's forces were led by none other than Sa'id b. Makhlad, who appears on this coin by the title Dhu'l-Wizaratayn, who had finally defeated the Zanj in this year. In exchange for switching their allegiance to the 'Abbasid cause, the Dulafids were granted the right to place their own names on the coinage, and the first Dulafid coins, struck in Shiraz in AH 270, accordingly name the Dulafid ruler 'Ahmad b. 'Abd al-'Aziz alongside the caliph and his commander, Dhu'l-Wizaratayn. Rayy lay on the fringes of the Dulafid lands, and al-Muhammadiya is not known as a Dulafid mint. But whoever was in fact in control of Rayy in AH 270 may well have felt it prudent to make a very public statement of allegiance to Sa'id b. Makhlad and the 'Abbasid cause, and to distance themselves from both the 'Alids and the Saffarids.