Watch List notes:

ABBASID, AL-MU'TAMID (256-279h) Dinar, Fars 274h Obverse field: la ilaha illa | Allah wahdahu | la sharik lahu | al-nasir li-din Allah | al-Muwaffaq billah Reverse field: lillah | Muhammad | rasul | Allah | al-Mu'tamid 'ala-'llah | Ahmad b. al-Muwaffaq billah Weight: 4.02g References: Lloyd, Saffarids GFa274A, same dies; cf Bernardi type 184 (unrecorded for this mint). Struck from rusty dies, good very fine and extremely rare. This extremely rare dinar records a brief period when the Abbasids regained control of the province of Fars, held by the Saffarids under 'Amr b. al-Layth for much of al-Mu'tamid's reign. In 271h 'Amr b. al-Layth was publicly cursed in the mosques and deprived of all the governorships which the caliph had reluctantly been obliged to grant him, while a combined Abbasid and Dulafid army took to the field against him. Their joint forces drove 'Amr b. al-Layth out of Fars and back to Kirman, but they were unable to build on this success and after inconclusive campaigning during 274h the caliphal forces retreated to Iraq, leaving Fars once again in the hands of the Saffarids. Negotiations between the two sides ended in 275h with 'Amr reinstated as Governor of Fars, Kirman, Sistan and Khurasan, for which he undertook to deliver ten million dirhams per annum to al-Mu'tamid in tax revenue.

(4000-5000 GBP)