Fil Caravan Art & Antiques · New York

Coins, Stamps & Medals

Early Islamic Provincial Silver Fractional Dirham

Hammer-struck silver fractional dirham · Central Asia · circa 8th–9th century CE

SoldThis piece has found its home.

Small irregular silver hammered coin with worn Arabic inscriptions in horizontal bands and a partial dotted rim.
Obverse of the fractional dirham, with the surviving line of the profession of faith.

Description

A small hammer-struck silver coin on an irregular, off-center flan, weighing approximately 2.63 grams and measuring about 17 mm across. A partial floral or dotted border survives at the rim, and both faces carry stacked horizontal bands of inscription.

The obverse retains a fragmentary “Muhammad Rasul…” line from the Islamic profession of faith; the reverse holds indistinct epigraphic bands of the kind associated with early frontier die engraving. The piece is understood as a provincial fractional dirham struck in Central Asia during the early centuries of Islamic expansion.

It is offered as a historical specimen for study or reference within collections of early Islamic and Central Asian hammered silver coinage. No mint or date is claimed.

Photographs

Details

OriginCentral Asia
PeriodApprox. 8th–9th century CE
MaterialSilver
TechniqueHammer-struck, flat and off-center strike
Weight~2.63 g
Diameter~17 mm
RimFloral / dotted border
ReferenceeBay item 277801777165

Condition

Heavy wear with incomplete legends, an irregular flan, a clipped edge and partial rim loss. The surface is natural: un-cleaned, un-restored, sold as found.