ARAB-SASANIAN, AL-HAJJAJ B. YUSUF Drachm, DA+P (Fasa) 71YE = 83h Obverse: In second and third quadrants of margin: bismillah – my (in Pahlawi) Reverse: Pellets to either side of top star-and-crescent, da to right, p to left of base of fire-altar Weight: 3.80g References: SCC 131; Silver Hoard of Damascus 118; Curiel, R., ‘Monnaie d’al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf à legende pehlevie,’ Revue Numismatique, 1966, pp.321-328 Cleaned, minor edge clip, otherwise good very fine or better and extremely rare. Both al-‘Ush and Curiel proposed that the letters Pahlawi letters mn in the obverse margin may be an abbreviation for the Arabic Mansur, but offered different suggestions as to its significance. Curiel, who had access to a pierced and badly-preserved specimen, read the date as 79h and so identified ‘Mansur’ as a finance official known to have been active in Fars and Sistan between 75-82h. However, al-‘Ush was able to demonstrate that the year should in fact be read as 71 – a Yazdigerd Era date equating to 83h, which would appear to be too late to coincide with Curiel’s administrator. Instead, he proposed that ‘Mansur’ was an adjective meaning ‘Victorious,’ and pointed out that this coin was struck in the year when al-Hajjaj recaptured Darabjird from the rebellious ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad. This also offers an explanation as to why al-Hajjaj’s name is rendered not in Arabic but in Pahlawi, as on the coins issued there in the previous year by his recently-defeated opponent.

Estimate: GBP 2000 - 2500