2 birds and a dragon

[jezuss]

token 44.5 mm brass

obverse: 2 birds
reverse: st joris ? with a dragon

[eurocoin]

I already came across this piece in the unidentified section of your website some time ago. Recently I have discussed your piece with people who are fluent in Arabic and they provided some information about the lettering. Although it is hard to read, they were fairly sure about what it refers to. To be able to check whether the information is correct, preferably close-up photos of the Arabic text in the red rectangles are necessary.

[jezuss]

i cannot upload a bigger picture, so i have to do it in pieces.

[Figleaf]

Birdies (phoenixes?) look Japanese - the phoenix is the counterpart of the dragon as an imperial symbol.

The horseman is undoubtedly St. George, but judging from his clothes, he would be Russian, rather than British.

Peter

[FosseWay]

The text on the St George side is definitely in the Arabic script, though. Whether it's Arabic or something else I don't know; the only bit I think I can identify is the first word on the first enlarged picture (i.e. to the left of the star at the top), which may be علي (Ali). Alternatively, it may not.

[eurocoin]

The inscription on the side depicting Saint George and the dragon is divided into 3 parts by 2 stars. Several people who know this script have said that the part to the left says "Ali Abu Bakr", the part to the right says "Omar Uthman". I do not know what the lettering at the top says. It is hardly legible, if at all.

Ali, Abu Bakr, Omar and Uthman are 4 caliphs of the Rashidun Caliphate. They are the successors of the Prophet Muhammad after he died.

This is a very strange piece. Asian phoenixes on one side, European Saint George and the Dragon on the other and an insciption about Arabic caliphs.. It looks to me as if there may also be some Arabic lettering on the other side at the top, above the phoenixes.

[jezuss]

text above the birds :

[eurocoin]

The text on the St George side is definitely in the Arabic script, though. Whether it's Arabic or something else I don't know; the only bit I think I can identify is the first word on the first enlarged picture (i.e. to the left of the star at the top), which may be علي (Ali). Alternatively, it may not.

Well spotted, you were right indeed!

[jezuss]

i found these posts on coincommunity :

https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=157657

https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=95974

they say it is a "yasin peacock coin"...

[eurocoin]

Interesting. While googling I came across the following listing in 'Magic Coins of Java, Bali, Malay Peninsula' by Joe Cribb.