CNG 105, Lot: 1070. Estimate $3000. Sold for $4750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. AH 65-86 / AD 685-705. AR Dirham (33mm, 4.03 g, 3h). Arab-Sasanian type. Issue of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Umayyad governor. BYŠ (Bishapur) mint. Dated AH 76 in Pahlavi (AD ). Crowned Sassanian style bust right; al-hajjaj ibn yusuf in Arabic in two lines to right; bismillāh , lā ilāha il lā-llāhu waḥdahu and, muḥammadur rasūlu-llāh in Arabic between crescent-in-pellets in outer margin / Fire altar flanked by attendants; star and crescent flanking flames; ššhftat (date) in Pahlavi to left, byš (mint) in Pahlavi to right. SICA I 215; Walker, Arab-Sasanian 230-1); Album A35; ICV 42. Choice EF. Very rare.

Ex Numismatica Genevensis SA 8 (24 November 2014), lot 222 (where it realized 10,000 CHF).

An Arab-Sassanian coin with a refined aesthetic style. The Islamic inscription on the obverse is laid out radially, rather than lengthways as it was more commonly the case, creating an extremely elegant composition. This rare piece demonstrates the efforts of al-Hajjaj and the caliph Abd al-Malik to create original coins, rather than just simple imitations.