151, Lot: 289. Estimate $100. Sold for $205. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ARAB-BYZANTINE, Abasis in Egypt mint? Circa 640-675. Æ 12 Nummi (17mm, 6.38 g). Crowned and cuirassed facing bust, holding palm; star in right field / I B with M between; ABLZ. Fustat 29. VF, rough green patina.

This type copies the Alexandrian 12 nummi of Heraclius, continued into the transitional period between the ouster of the Byzantines and the imposition of full Muslim Arabic rule. The tentative identification of the mint as Abasis is an attempt to reconcile the corrupted ALEZ mintmark. Abasis does not appear as a place name in the authoritative gazetteers of ancient Egypt, although there is an Avaris in the Delta, the ancient Hyksos capital. A mint at Abila in the Dekapolis has also been suggested; coins of this type having been found in the region of the province of Palestine. See Gorny & Mosch 153 (11 October 2006), lot 4910 for a similar piece with an estimate of 400 euros(which remained unsold).