Iran-Arab Sasanian YE37 (AH48) 1 drachm ST mint
The Arabs overran the Sasanian Empire in the 650’s and established Islamic dominance over most of the territory. The Arab capital at the time was Medina, but the caliph (Umar I) left most of the local governments to manage as before, asking only allegiance to the new order. As a result, Persian coinage continued much as before, despite the Muslim prohibition against ‘graven images’. Initially, issues were anomymous, but eventually identified Umayyad governors. After the coinage reform of ‘Abd al-Malik I in 685 AD, the Sasanian imitations ceased and subsequent Islamic issues possessed only script.
The specimen shown was lot 75 in Steve Album sale 16 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2013), where it sold for US$1,888. The catalog description reads[1]:
"ARAB-SASANIAN: Khusraw type, 668, AR drachm, ST (Istakhr), YE37, with rabbi Allah in ObQ2, superb strike, choice EF, RRR. This is the first reported example of type B6 from any mint other than GD (Jayy), and is probably unique. An extremely rare example of ST mint dated YE37, but of type A-4 with bism Allah in ObQ2, was sold in the Künker auction 188 (June 2011), as part of a group of three Arab-Sasanian drachms in lot 495."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.88g, silver.
Catalog reference: A-B6.
- Album, Stephen. Checklist of Islamic Coins. Santa Rosa, 1998. Stephen Album.
- [1]Album, Stephen. Stephen Album Rare Coins - Auction 16. Santa Rosa, 2013. Stephen Album Rare Coins.
- Mitchiner, Michael. Oriental Coins and their Values - The World of Islam. London, 2000. Hawkins Publications.
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