Need ID help for Islamic Coins

Moe101

Hi, I need some ID help as I don't read Arabic. I have one of them already identified but still need help with the other 2. Any help would be appreciated!

Sapyx

We'd probably need closer pics of both sides to get precise IDs, but the one at the bottom appears to be Abbasid, while the one on the left is a subsequent dynasty. Neither are as old as the one that's already IDed in the flip (which dates from AH 100, or AD 718-719).

Moe101

Hi, thanks for responding. I'm attaching front and back pics. Also if you have any idea what they are worth I'd be happy to know what I'm holding. Thanks

Sapyx

OK, let's see what we can do. The top coin, fortunately, has a nice clear date: year 505, in the Islamic calendar, or AD 1111-1112. This certainly helps with identification.

This was a time of turmoil in the Islamic world, as the Shiite-Sunni divide and disputes within the ruling families had split the Caliphate and the Crusades were well underway. This coin was struck in the Sultanate of the Great Seljuqs, a Turkish tribe who ruled much of what we now call Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Turkmenistan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seljuk_Empire

The sultan who ruled at the time, and whose name appears on the coin, was Muhammad I, also known as Muhammad Tapar. The coin was struck in Isfahan, in what is now central Iran, which was the capital city of the remnant of the Seljuq Empire still under this control.

Now for the bottom coin: the date is a little harder to read, but I believe it's year 159, AD 775-776, which puts it in the early 'Abbasid Caliphate. At this period of history, Islamic coins do not bear the names of the Caliphs; all of the text, apart from the line which gives the denomination and date, are verses from the Qu'ran. Most gold coins of this period also do not show a mint-name; this was apparently a security measure, to prevent the infidels from finding out where the gold was coming from.

Now, as for values. There isn't a readily available English-language catalogue for these coins which give values. Stephen Album is compiling a catalogue, but at the moment it only gives a rarity scale. Your first coin is number 1682 in the Album catalogue, and rated "Common", which typically means dealers will ask about $100 over the bullion price. The second coin is catalogued as Album # 214, also rated as "Common".

Sapyx

Oh, and the third coin, identified in the flip as from year 100, is also rated as "Common" (Album # 132), but very early dated Umayyad Caliphate gold coins can be worth considerably more than bullion value. Historically, the Arab people themselves have had little interest in buying the coins of their own history. If/when they do, Arab oil wealth being invested in early Islamic coins could see values for these pieces increase substantially above their current values.

Moe101

Thank you very much! Very helpful!!