ASSASSINS AT ALAMUT (Batinid): Muhammad I, 1138-1162, AV ¼ dinar (1.03g), Kursi al-Daylam, DM, A-1918, the title al-mustafa li-din Allah nizar on reverse, below the Shi'ite formula 'ali wali Allah, VF to EF, R. The Batinids were an Isma'ili dynasty based in the mountains north of Qazwin, whose fame arose from their practice of terrorizing their neighbors by sending out hit squads allegedly high on hashish. They were known as the hashish-eaters, "hashshashiyun" in Arabic, from which the English word assassin is derived.
Estimate: 1,400-1,600 GBP