Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Islamic Auction 1 25 May 2022
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'Abbasid Caliphate. temp. Al-Rashid. AH 170-193 / AD 786-809. AV Dinar (19.3mm, 4.26g, 12h). Without mint-name. Dated AH 170 / AD 786/7. Bab (or Ib?) at top of reverse field. Bernardi 60 RRR. AU. Extremely rare.
Ex Baldwin's of St James's Auction 49 (27 October 2020), lot 1006.
The significance of the letters at the top of the reverse field is not yet understood. Bernardi proposed to read them as bab, but while there is certainly a horizontal stroke to the right of the alif there is no vertical 'tooth' for the 'b'. An alternative possibility might be that this horizontal stroke is simply a 'tail' to the alif, since many of the letters in the margins of this coin have similar 'tails' at the tops of vertical strokes, with the 'i' and 'n' of dinar a particularly clear example. In this case, the letters at the top of the reverse field could plausibly be read as 'Ib' and interpreted as an abbreviation for 'Ibrahim'. It may be noted that some rare dinars of al-Hadi dated AH 169 have 'BR' at the bottom of the reverse field (Bernardi 56), and it has been proposed that this may be an abbreviation for 'Ibrahim' also.
Ex Baldwin's of St James's Auction 49 (27 October 2020), lot 1006.
The significance of the letters at the top of the reverse field is not yet understood. Bernardi proposed to read them as bab, but while there is certainly a horizontal stroke to the right of the alif there is no vertical 'tooth' for the 'b'. An alternative possibility might be that this horizontal stroke is simply a 'tail' to the alif, since many of the letters in the margins of this coin have similar 'tails' at the tops of vertical strokes, with the 'i' and 'n' of dinar a particularly clear example. In this case, the letters at the top of the reverse field could plausibly be read as 'Ib' and interpreted as an abbreviation for 'Ibrahim'. It may be noted that some rare dinars of al-Hadi dated AH 169 have 'BR' at the bottom of the reverse field (Bernardi 56), and it has been proposed that this may be an abbreviation for 'Ibrahim' also.