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Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 9:40 pm
by stas3000
Got these from a coin dealer I've purchased from before. Was supposed to get a couple of coins of Afghanistan but he messed up which is unusual for him. Sent me these two instead of the two I expected. Both weigh about 4 grams each.

I am pretty sure the one on the bottom (see pics) is a copper-nickel AH1326 100 Dinar of Iran, KM#962. About 20-21 mm in diameter. Cool modern coin. Not very common. Any objections? I think I got it right.

The other... I'm not sure. Like don't know at all. :oops: At the longest end it's 25mm. Weighs about 3.9 grams. Scans via PMV Pro as if it could be silver, 90% or Sterling.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Re: Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 10:49 am
by NiBullionCu
First one is most likely an Umayyad Caliphate in style, but I'm no good at the squigglies. Seeing other side may help.

Re: Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 7:13 pm
by stas3000
NiBullionCu wrote:First one is most likely an Umayyad Caliphate in style, but I'm no good at the squigglies. Seeing other side may help.

Thanks! The two pics show both the obverse and the reverse of each coin. Although... I have no idea which is the reverse/obverse is on that older piece or how to read any of the wording. :thumbdown: Is it Arabic? I can't tell. Cropped the two pics and reposting here.

Could the coin really be 1000+ years old? (I believe that caliphate dates wayyyback.) My first guess was 16th or 17th century... but again, pre-1800's is not at all my comfort zone. Not yet anyway. ;)

Re: Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 8:29 am
by Thogey
Try Nepal or Mongolia

Re: Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 10:53 am
by NiBullionCu
yes, arabic. (right side up is so the 'open curves' hold water.

And yes, I would say thousand year old coin.

Could also be Abbasid Caliphate. (Umayyid and Abbasid are Islamic Spain)
Again I'm not good at these types.
most Umayyad dirhams are 2.5-3 grams, since yours is 4gm (with a chunk missing), more likely Abbasid as they look to be closer to 4 grams.

That 'music note' symbol at the top would probably make it easy to identify by someone that knows these series.
I looked on ACsearch but couldn't find an exact match.
Here are some similars:
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4703761

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4356271

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4703761

Re: Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 10:54 am
by coppernickel
Very interesting, otherwise I have nothing else to add. Thank you for sharing.

Re: Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2022 12:25 pm
by NiBullionCu
I sent the images to a friend who knows the islamic coins way better than I do and this was his reply:

Style is a fit for Abbasid; looks later, as earlier Abbasid is better produced. The date is off the flan, so you'd have to read the ruler's name to be sure - it's often the bottom line on the reverse, but that's going to take way more time to figure out than the coin is worth. Probably 800-950 A.D., somewhere in there if I had to guess. That weight is a bit high though. Dirhams usually have pretty tight weight variance, and most Abbasid are around 2.9-3.1gm, but I suppose that could vary widely by era. Could always be a fluke, too. In any case, unless it turns out to be a super rare ruler, it looks like a $10 coin.

Re: Help Me Identify These Coins - Iran and ... ?

PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2022 9:27 pm
by stas3000
Thanks, very helpful!

I weighed it again - 3.88 grams. Given the condition and everything I doubt it's worth much. I thought more like $50 rather than $10 but that's not really what I'm looking to figure out anyway... mostly interested in the era and geography.

This is a good lesson for me from another angle as well -- I will continue to stick with modern coins, esp. when it comes to the coinage of the Middle East, Central Asia, Northern Africa, etc. Here's one I picked up recently that is more along those lines:
1375 (1956) Egypt 25 Piastres (Suez Canal commem.)
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces21769.html