97, Lot: 244. Estimate $75. Sold for $59. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ISLAMIC DYNASTIES. Zengids of Sinjar. Qutb al Din Muhammud bin Zengi. Æ Dirhem (26mm, 11.08 gm). Dated AH 596 (1199/1200 AD). Roman style bust left, holding sceptre and shield; tamgha in front, mint and date around / Four line legend citing the Abbasid caliph al-Nasir and Muhammud; tamgha below. S/S 81.1; Edhem 166; Album 1880.2. Good VF, tan patina. 

From the Garth R. Drewry Collection.

This type can be linked directly to a Roman prototype, namely the billon and bronze coins of Caracalla from the Mesopotamian mint of Edessa. On this specimen, the paludamentum and cuirass worn by the emperor are quite clearly defined, as are his sceptre and shield. The militant type and the non-reference to the Ayyubid sultans may mark a reassertion of Muhammud's autonomy.