Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (26.5mm, 2.76 g, 4h). Ard mint. Dated AH 82 (AD 701/2). VF.

Islamic Auction 4 – Session 1
Lot: 20. Estimated: $ 5 000

Umayyad Silver and Bronze, Silver

Sold For $ 4 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (26.5mm, 2.76 g, 4h). Ard mint. Dated AH 82 (AD 701/2). Klat 30 (same obverse die as illustration); al-‘Ajlan 82/3 (same obverse die as illustration). Attempted piercing at 1h on obverse, graffiti above reverse field. VF. Extremely rare, only two specimens recorded by Klat.

'Ard' is one of the rarest Umayyad mint-names. Initially read as Urdu, meaning 'camp,' Michael Bates subsequently proposed that Ard was 'nothing more than a die-engraver's error for Ardashir Khurra' (Bates, M., ‘Mystery Mints of the Umayyads’, ONS Occasional Paper 22, 1987). Since Bates wrote, however, another dirham from 'Ard' dated AH 79 has come to light (Klat 29), and it is far less likely that the same error should have been made on two occasions three years apart. Thus 'Ard' is now generally regarded as being an authentic mint-name in its own right, even though its location is not yet established.

The final winners of all CNG Islamic Auction 4 – Session 1 lots will be determined during the live sale that will be held on 19 October 2023.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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