Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (25mm, 2.40 g, 1h). Revolutionary Period Issue. Talabarak or Tanbarak (?) mint. Dated AH 133 (AD 750/1). Near Fine.

Islamic Auction 4 – Session 1
Lot: 44. Estimated: $ 750

Umayyad Silver and Bronze, Silver

Sold For $ 600. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Umayyad Caliphate, Silver coinage. AR Dirham (25mm, 2.40 g, 1h). Revolutionary Period Issue. Talabarak or Tanbarak (?) mint. Dated AH 133 (AD 750/1). Obverse margin: ◉ la ◉ hukm ◉ illah ◉ lillah. Klat 198; Wurtzel 32; al- ‘Ajlan —. Broken and glued, minor edge losses, some staining and corrosion. Near Fine. Very rare.

This very rare issue represents the only appearance of this mint-name in the coinage record. Once tentatively read as Bayburd, Album has more recently proposed that the mint should be read as Tanbarak, which he interpreted as a version of the place known in Parthian times as Tambrax, located in the ancient province of Hyrcania. Support from this view comes from the older Greek form of this place-name: Talabrokē mentioned by Strabo, who describes Ταλαβρόκη as one of the four chief towns of Hyrcania. Rather than ‘Tanbarak’, which has neither the ‘m’ of ‘Tambrax’ nor the ‘l’ of ‘Talabrokē’, the mint-name on this coin might therefore be better read as Talabarak, which would fit Strabo’s form perfectly.

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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