Public Numismatic Auction #8

Anonyme Drachme AH 70 (689-90), Garm Kerman. Buste sassanide couronné d'un casque ailé à droite. Inscription marginale "Muhammad rasul Allah" en écriture pahlavi / Autel zororastrien entre deux servants tenant chacun une épée. 4,11g. A - ; Shams Eshragh 123 ; Walker - ; SIC Ashmolean -. Très rare. Superbe exemplaire.
An extremely rare coin. This type was first described by Shams Eshragh in 2004 (ONS Newsletter 178, Winter 2004, p. 46). The marginal inscription is a particularly good illustration of the emergence of Islamic references in local coinage. The phrase "Muhammad rasul Allah" (Muhammad is the Prophet of God) is written in Pahlavi here and includes the local term "Yazdan" to refer to God. The Arabic word "Allah" had clearly not yet passed into usage among non-Arabic-speaking populations.