Granada (1482-92) dinar
This specimen was lot 609 in Sincona sale 92 (Zürich, October 2024), where it sold for 22,000 CHF (about US$30,492 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ISLAMISCHE MÜNZEN Nasrids of Granada, Muhammad XII "Boabdil" (b. ‘Ali b. Sa‘d), 887-888, 891-897 AH (1482-1483, 1486-1492). Dinar n. d. (1482-1492), Gharnata Mint. With eight generations of Nasrids: 'Abd-allâh al-Ghâlib/billâh Muhammad ibn 'Alî ibn/Sa'd ibn 'Alî ibn Yûsuf/ibn Muhammad ibn Yûsuf/ibn Nasr ayyadahu alâh wa nasarahu. Von grösster Seltenheit vermutlich das dritte bekannte Exemplar. Vorzüglich. Leichter Doppelschlag auf der Rückseite, Of the highest rarity, probably the third known specimen, Extremely Fine, Slightly double struck on reverse."
The Muslim dominions in Spain were reduced to the kingdom of Granada by the late thirteenth century but there the Reconquista stalled as the various Christian kingdoms fought among themselves over the newly conquered lands. Isabella of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 but her own throne was not secure against all pretenders until 1479. When Granada raided Zahara in 1481, the unified Spanish kingdoms were ready to launch the final Reconquest. They were greatly aided by civil strife within Granada, of which Muhammed XII, whose coin this is, was a major instigator. Even so, ten years of grinding attrition were required before the city of Granada and the castle of Alhambra finally fell. This is the only coin listed of this ruler.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, this specimen 4.66 g.
Catalog reference: Cayón-772, Album 415, Vives -, Medina Gomez (1992) 197.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Calicó, Xavier, Numismática Española: Catálogo General con Precios de Todas las Monedas Españolas Acuñadas desde Los Reyes Católicos Hasta Felipe VI, 1474 a 2020, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2019.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 92: The Kian Collection - Part 3 (Islamic and Persian Coins and Medals, Orders of the Chivalry) and The Tuhfa Collection of Arabic Gold Coins, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2024.
Link to:
- Spain (1475-97)-S 2 castellano Fr-147, Ferdinand and Isabella
- Coins and currency dated 1482