Gold coins

The gold dinar

The dinar takes its name from the Roman denarius and became the gold coin of the caliphs. From the end of the 7th century it carried no images, only Arabic inscriptions: the profession of faith and verses from the Qur’an, often the ruler’s name, the mint and the date in the Hijri calendar. Dinars were struck in high-grade gold, but the weights of surviving coins vary, so the weight is stated for every object.

Abbasid and Fatimid dinars

The Abbasid dinar in this category was struck in 891/2 (AH 278) in San‘a in Yemen under Caliph al-Mu’tamid (870–892), and is in Extremely Fine condition. The Fatimids, an Ismaili Shia dynasty that ruled from North Africa and, from 969, from Cairo, are represented by dinars of al-Mustansir, whose reign of almost sixty years (1036–1094) was one of the longest of any caliph, and of al-Amir (1101–1130). Many Fatimid dinars have their legends arranged in concentric circles around a central point, a style that began under the caliph al-Mu‘izz.

The Ottoman sultani

The sultani was the Ottoman gold coin, first struck under Mehmed II around 1477 on the standard of the Venetian ducat, which dominated trade in the Mediterranean. In the 16th century it was the empire’s only gold coin. The example here was struck under Selim II (1566–1574), son of Suleiman the Magnificent. Unlike the dinars, it names the sultan with his titles rather than carrying the religious formulas.

What affects quality and price?

Gold coins were often kept as stores of value and sometimes worn as jewellery; traces of a mount lower the value, and one dinar here is described as possibly ex mount. Collectors look for a legible mint and date, a well-centred strike and an even surface. Islamic silver is found under silver coins, and gold from other periods and countries under Gold coins.