Baldwin's Hong Kong Coin Auction
Auction 53 23 August 2012
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COINS . CHINA – CENTRAL ASIA, SILK ROAD. Bukhara.Bukhar Khuda Togshada (c.710s): Drachm, 3.09g, imitating a Sassanian Drachm of Varachran V, distorted Sogdian legend: “Bukharan King Kana”, remains of Pahlavi legend behind head, Rev fire altar (A Naymark, Mugskie Drakhmy – Desyataia vserossiskaia numizmaticheskaia konferensiia. Tezisy dokladov I soobschenii, Moscow 2002, p.51-53). About very fine, rare.
The Origin and Evolution of the Silver Sogdian Coinage of Bukhara.
The mint of Merv was especially active during the second part of the reign of Varachran V. It is usually interpreted as evidence for extensive military activities in this area in the 520s and 530s. Following this period, imitations of Varachran’s Merv drachms appeared in Sogdiana, Middle Amu-darya and Margiana. Originally, they closely followed the prototype and sometimes it is impossible to draw a line between the original drachms and imitations. Later the legend on the obverse becomes more and more corrupt and the portrait of the king becomes more and more primitive. On the latest coins, a mirror image of the same inscription was cut in half, while an extra line of eyebrows appeared on the face of the king, etc. By the early 6th century a new Bukharan type was issued with the Sogdian legend “pwy’r xw’b k’w’” (King of Kings (?) of Bukhara) which substituted a distorted Pahlavi legend. From this time to the middle of 8th century, such coins seem to be the only silver type minted in Bukhara. In 740s coins of this type were also minted in Samarqand. After the final subjugation of Sogdiana in 740s, Arab governors placed Arabic inscription with their own name and the names of Abbasid caliphs behind the head of Varachran. Still bearing the portrait of Varachran and distorted Sogdian legends, these coins were used as a principal “tax” money in Early Islamic Mawaraannachr. This unique evidence for surviving of a Pre-Islamic tradition attracted attention of the scholarly community long ago, but many major questions of typology still remain unsolved.
Estimate: US$120-150
The Origin and Evolution of the Silver Sogdian Coinage of Bukhara.
The mint of Merv was especially active during the second part of the reign of Varachran V. It is usually interpreted as evidence for extensive military activities in this area in the 520s and 530s. Following this period, imitations of Varachran’s Merv drachms appeared in Sogdiana, Middle Amu-darya and Margiana. Originally, they closely followed the prototype and sometimes it is impossible to draw a line between the original drachms and imitations. Later the legend on the obverse becomes more and more corrupt and the portrait of the king becomes more and more primitive. On the latest coins, a mirror image of the same inscription was cut in half, while an extra line of eyebrows appeared on the face of the king, etc. By the early 6th century a new Bukharan type was issued with the Sogdian legend “pwy’r xw’b k’w’” (King of Kings (?) of Bukhara) which substituted a distorted Pahlavi legend. From this time to the middle of 8th century, such coins seem to be the only silver type minted in Bukhara. In 740s coins of this type were also minted in Samarqand. After the final subjugation of Sogdiana in 740s, Arab governors placed Arabic inscription with their own name and the names of Abbasid caliphs behind the head of Varachran. Still bearing the portrait of Varachran and distorted Sogdian legends, these coins were used as a principal “tax” money in Early Islamic Mawaraannachr. This unique evidence for surviving of a Pre-Islamic tradition attracted attention of the scholarly community long ago, but many major questions of typology still remain unsolved.
Estimate: US$120-150