Mamluks, Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Barsbay, AR-Dirham, Aleppo (Halab) mint

Started by maudry, November 09, 2020, 11:36:01 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

maudry

I was wondering if it could be Safavid?
Size: 16mm
Weight: 2.14gr

aws22

Dear maudry, I think your coin is:
Safavids, Shah Tahmasp I, AR 1/2 Shahi, Sari mint (AH 930-984/1524-1576 AD)
Obverse (Second photo):
Shiite Kalima: لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله علی ولی الله , La ilah illa Allah / Muhammad rasul Allah 'Ali wali Allah, meaning, "no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God, 'Ali is the chosen one of God"
Reverse (First photo): 
Mint inside a center circle, ضرب سارى Struck in Sari, his title around in margin.
Rare mint Sari (main city of Mazandaran), beautiful calligraphy.

Maythem
Coin collecting has a curious name. It is also called the "Hobby of Kings".


saro

A beautiful and with no doubt a rare coin  :applause: but I am not so certain that's a Safavid coin... :-\
The kalima (with a separating ornament) doesn't appear to be the shiite formula ? even off-centered I think that there is no room for " 'Ali wali Allah ".
instead, at bottom I would read (curiously..) "zarb ضرب " and on the other face, in center : " ب ساري " which is also somewhat weird; "zarb b Sari" could be more of turkish style?

The visible part of the circular legend (with something like " ... بهی الملک ال ..." is also puzzling and  hardly linkable with a ruler's title.
A suggestion (and no more..) :  Aq Quyunlu or a late Qara Quyunlu  struck at Sari???
"All I know is that I know nothing" (Socrates)

aws22

Thank you Saro, I was in doubt about this coin. I tried hard to find one like it, but could not, so I went by the style and assumed it is Safavid coin. But I agree with you now it is not Safavid coin. I am glad you agreed on the Mint Sari, it is clear " ضرب سارى ".

Maythem
Coin collecting has a curious name. It is also called the "Hobby of Kings".

saro

#5
I think that the mystery is off...
I was not completely satisfied with the reading of the central text as being "Sari"... and indeed, not sure it was a mintname  :-\  which should have been better expected after "zarb" on the other face.

In fact it's the ruler's name : "Barsbay / برسبای ", a Mamluk ruler (825-841 AH) / a coin (from type) which has been struck at Halab (Alep).
Some coins are listed on Zeno (1/2 and 1 dirham) , see here and here

Mamluks, Barsbay (825-841 AH) / dirham of Halab mint
"All I know is that I know nothing" (Socrates)

Figleaf

An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

saro

This sketch gives the circular legend present on this coin : "... al-mulk al-ashraf...  الملک الاسرف " (full title : al-ashraf Sayf al-din Barsbay)

The strange word I took for "bhi / بهی " was in fact an ornament  ::)... clearly seen on one of the Zeno coin

On the other face "zarb" is at bottom and the mintname is at top but is out of flan here.
"All I know is that I know nothing" (Socrates)

aws22

#8
Dear Saro, you have done a wonderful job on this coin, the details of this coin:
Mamluks, Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Barsbay, ¾ Dirham, no Date, Dimashq (Damascus) mint (AH 825–841/1422–1438 AD)
First photo:
Clockwise marginal legend: السلطان الملك الاشرف ابو النصر عز نصره ,  "al-Sultan al-Malik al-Asharf abu al-Nasr azza nasrahu" , meaning, "al-Sultan al-Malik al-Asharf abu al-Nasr, may his victory be glorious"
Inner circle, central legend: " برسباى "   , Barsbay (Ruler's name)
Second photo:
بدمشق  , Bi-Dimashq , in Damascus (On top, not visible)
لا اله الا الله , La Ilah illa Allah
(figure) , see attachment.
محمد رسول الله  , Muhammad Rasul Allah
ضرب , Zarb.
Barsbay struck silver coins, with the following denominations: 1/2 + 1/4 = 3/4 Dirham, of 1.45 + 0.725 gram = 2.175 gram.

Maythem
Coin collecting has a curious name. It is also called the "Hobby of Kings".

saro

Thank you Maythem   :)
The mintname is out of flan at top and I wonder why you think that this coin is from Dimashq / Damascus mint  and not from Halab ? the ornament placed under the kalima seems to be found only  on the Halab coins listed on Zeno.
I'm not expert in Mamluks coinage but I notice that Halab silver coins of Barsbay listed are :1/2 dirham of circa 1,1g and (scarcer) dirham of 2,1 -2,3 g (like Maudry's coin ?); may be there was a weight std slightly different for these two mints ?
"All I know is that I know nothing" (Socrates)

aws22

#10
Thank you Saro, you are right about the " Figure " is used in Aleppo mint. It is Aleppo mint and it should be written as two words next to each other " ضرب بحلب Dhuriba bi-Halab " plus another type of heraldic symbol " Figure 2 " included on the other side of the coin which is there in the margin of first photo above letter " N ن " of the word " al-Sultan السلطان ".
As for the weight standard, you could be right.
The coin is then:
Mamluks, Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Barsbay, AR Dirham, no Date, Aleppo (Halab) mint (AH 825–841/1422–1438 AD)
First photo:
Clockwise marginal legend:
السلطان al-Sultan,
(Figure 2) , see attachment.
الملك الاشرف أبو النصر عز نصره , al-Malik al-Asharf abu al-Nasr azza nasrahu.
"al-Sultan al-Malik al-Asharf abu al-Nasr azza nasrahu" , meaning, "al-Sultan al-Malik al-Asharf abu al-Nasr, may his victory be glorious"
Inner circle, central legend: " برسباى "   , Barsbay (Ruler's name)
Second photo:
لا اله الا الله , La Ilah illa Allah
(Figure) , see attachment.
محمد رسول الله , Muhammad Rasul Allah
ضرب بحلب, Dhuriba bi-Halab (Aleppo).

Maythem
Coin collecting has a curious name. It is also called the "Hobby of Kings".

saro

From another coin, it is now possible to complete the  legible legend present on Maudry's coin with the word "sultan" to give :  "al-Sultan al-Malik al-Asharf:)
"All I know is that I know nothing" (Socrates)

maudry

Thank you gentlemen a lot for another full and clear identification of one of my coins.
I have modified the title of this thread and will also need to modify the label on the coin  :)