The Islamic coinage in the Collection is among the most outstanding in private hands, with some 14,500 issues in gold, silver and copper. The coins were issued across the Islamic world, from North Africa to Central Asia and India, in the 7th to the 20th centuries. Many series are represented in larger numbers and in greater variety than in any other collection. The entire collection will be published online, but in the meantime it was decided to publish a representative 2,100 of them, selected for their rarity, historical significance, clarity and overall numismatic importance in two volumes, of which this is the second.
Following on from the publication of coins of the early period, this volume features a selection of coins ranging from those issued by the Mongols and their successors in the 13th century up to the machine-stuck coins of the early 20th century. Gold coinage highlights from the later period include a unique dinar minted during the brief reign of the Ilkhanid Musa Khan (1336–7); the gold mohurs issued by the Mughal emperor Jahangir (1569–1627) with signs of the zodiac on the obverse; and a rare five-piece Qajar treasury set of 50, 20 and 10 tumans. The silver coinage is also extensive and includes many rare and unpublished examples.
Dr Aram R. Vardanyan is a private researcher in the field of Islamic Numismatics and Near Eastern History
fully illustrated in colour; hardback with dust jacket (slipcased); 36 × 26 cm; ISBN: 978-1-874780-83-0
