Islamic Coin Umayyad Gold Dinar Yazid II bin Abdel Malik 102 AH Nice Very Fine

  

His father Abd al-Malik is the Umayyad Caliph responsible for the reformed coinage in the Islamic world. This beautiful very fine or much better coin shows the year of minting as being 102 AH, but as it is the norm with these coins it does not show the mint location. The coin has a beautiful golden color with light graffiti, some minor edge marks, and a crick in the flan, which can be seen in the photos. Please carefully review the photos presented as they are part and parcel of our description.

References: It is Album 134, Wilkes 195, and is listed in Lane Poole Catalogue of the Collection of Arabic Coins Preserved in the Khedivial Library in Cairo Egypt as number 35. Condition: I would grade this coin as a good very fine or much better with a well centered strike and beautiful Calligraphy. Be that as it may, this is a nice coin, which would make a great addition to your collection. Please see photo to appreciate the quality of the coin and for additional condition information.

Historic Perspective: The Muslim Arabs used existing gold and silver coinage in lands they conquered. At that time the nascent Islamic nation did not have a monetary system and did not strike neither gold nor silver coins, instead the conquering Arabs used the Byzantine monetary system already existing in Egypt for most of the gold coins and the Sassanian monetary system already existing in Iran for most silver coins with minor modifications. In 77 AH (699 AD) Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan the Umayyad caliph instituted a monetary system and began striking the first Islamic coins including the gold Dinar and silver dirham. The dinar weighed 4.25 grams, or one mithqal, of the highest purity gold possible.

The dirham weighed about 2.85 of the purest possible silver composition, which would maintain a solid coin. At the time the center of power and the main gold coin mint was in Dimishq (current day Damascus in Syria), while silver coins were minted throughout the Muslim empire. We guarantee the authenticity, description and condition of the items we sell.