Help Identifying/reading Sassanian drachma

[marinheiro]

This was sold as a Khusru II, which it clearly isn't. I think its a Peroz I (2nd crown). But I've been trying to match the inscription against what I think it should be, and failing. The closest I can get is (maybe) starting from the king's left shoulder and going anticlockwise: KDI MLD YSN (the Mwzda-worshipping king) and then on the reverse PIRZ starting from the top on the left side. If that is right then the series of nearly identical dots on the right is the mint name, and there is no date. I've tried looking at the Peroz coins on zeno.ru and not finding it helps much: I can't read them either :-(
 

[Manzikert]

I'm afraid I can't add a lot, except to confirm that it is Peroz, second crown as you said. These were struck around 459-469.

I only have 3 from this period but unfortunately all are of the type with an 'M' at left on the reverse rather than a date so I've nothing to compare with there.

On the right all of them have readable mints in two or three large letters. On yours there is considerable 'ghosting' from the bust on the obverse which would make it difficult to read any mint, and the dots at extreme right don't resemble any mintname I have ever seen.

On the obverse the king's name does seem to be an attempt at Peroz but as you can see from my clearest one below even there the letters are rather badly written.

I suspect that yours is a contemporary counterfeit: we know the Ephthalites were beginning to copy Peroz's coins for their own use so perhaps this is one of their earlier attempts? You need someone more expert than me to confirm or deny this. I do have what I think is a contemporary counterfeit of Peroz but this has a reasonably readable date and mint.

Alan