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Sasanian Coins
This page will contain Sasanian coins and is a work in progress as I build it with attribution tips and techniques. For more information on
coins from the Sasanian culture, please visit Thomas Mallon-McCorgray's site. My deepest gratitude to Tom Mallon-McCorgray and Howard
Cole for their assistance in confirming or changing my attributions of the coins and understanding the various marks and references. The
"standard reference" I will be using for this section is Sasanian Numismatics, written by Robert Gbl in 1971, published by Klinkhardt &
Biermann in Germany, 97 pages with 16 plates, 1 map and 16 tables. It is a very interesting book with many line drawings of crowns, mint
marks, dates, legends and devices to assist with attributions.
Sasanian coinage can be somewhat intimidating, but it is often very beautiful. Once you learn the different attributes to observe, determining
the ruler, mint, year, etc. can come along without too much difficulty. I've been told, once a person gains an understanding of the crown each
king or queen wears, it becomes easy to quickly attribute a coin to a ruler. Below is a chart, showing each ruler and their crown, as I get
examples.
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Here we see the ruler, Khusro II, bust facing, head right, wearing winged crown surmounted by star and crescent, inside double dotted-border,
crescent with star at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. There is Pahlavi script in the lower right margin and to the left and right of the king's portrait within
the borders.
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To the upper right of the king, inside the borders and keeping in mind Pahlavi is read from right to left, we find his name: 'hwslwb', or
Khusro. The Kh is also sometimes spelled as X or Ch, so you may see Khusro (Mitchiner), Xusro (Gbl) or Chosroes (Frye), depending on
the reference used for attributions.
To the left of the portrait, also within the borders, there is more Pahlavi script. On this coin, it reads GDH apzwt, translating to something
along the lines of 'may his glory/splendor increase/grow' and refers to the ruler. Therefore, reading all of the script together, we get 'Khusro,
may his glory grow'. The GDH is a ligatured ideogram, translating to xuarr, meaning splendor (from Gbl, Plate XV). Anywhere in this
section you find something in upper case, it is either an ideogram or an acronym.
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The script in the lower right margin reads APD. APD is an expression of praise and translates to 'good/excellent' or 'wonderful'. Not all coins
will have writing in the margins.
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This reverse shows a common theme of Sasanian coinage - two attendants (or guards) flanking a flaming altar, crescents on their heads, inside
triple dotted-border, crescent with star at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock. This scene was symbolic for the Zoroastrianism religion the Sasanians
followed.
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To the right of the right attendant is the mint mark. This mintmark reads DA for the mark for the Darabgird mint, in what is modern-day
Iran. Note - not all Sasanian coins will have a date or mint mark. Also, the locations of the mints themselves are not agreed upon by all
experts, so there will be variation again, depending on the attributing reference.
To the left of the left attendant is the date. The date on this coin is from year 'pncsyh', or 35, of Khusro II's reign. He reigned from 590-591
then from 591-628 AD, so this coin would be from 624/625 AD.
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whrmzd Hormazd
kw't' Kavad
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BN (Uncertain) Kirman
MR Merv Khurasan
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tyln 2
tlt' 3
pwzn 5
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chldh 14
pncdh 15
y'cwyst' 22
sycwyst' 23
chlwyst' 24
pncwyst' 25
sswyst' 26
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hptwyst' 27
hsywyst' 28
dwcsyh 32
pncsyh 35
sssyh 36
hstsyh 38
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Note: Gbl translates the Pahlavi legends as obverse meaning "The Mazdah worshipper, the divine
Shapur, King of the Kings of Iran, heaven descended of the Gods" and reverse meaning "The fire of
Shapur".
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Pahlavi legend
Fire altar with two attendants dressed in kingly garb, facing inward, short staff in both hands, bust of
Ahuramazda right in flames above altar, Pahlavi script on altar
23mm, 4.08g
Gbl SN, Sapur II, Ib/6a (Plate VI/105); Valentine 26
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Hormazd IV, AR Drachm, Year 5 (583), Uncertain Site (Fars or Central Iraq)
pwzn | whrmzd
Facing bust, head right, wearing crown with tassel to left and surmounted by crescent with |||: inside
single dotted-border, crescent with stars at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock
hwms' | WYHC
Fire altar with two attendants, wearing tall headgear, inside single dotted-border, no marks outside
border
30mm, 4.03g
Gbl SN, Hormizd IV, Ia/1
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chldh | ShY
Fire altar with two attendants standing facing, both hands on sword hilt, crescents on heads, all
inside triple dotted-border, crescents with stars at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock
31mm x 33mm, 4.06g
Gbl SN, Xusro II, IIb/3 (Plate XIII/211-215); Valentine 50
Khusro II, AR Drachm, Year 23? (612/613), Uncertain Site (Kirman Province)
GDH apzwt | hwslwb
Facing bust, head right, wearing winged crown with star and crescent, inside double dotted-border,
crescents with stars at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock
sycwyst' | BN
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Fire altar with two attendants standing facing, both hands on sword hilt, crescents on heads, all
inside triple dotted-border, crescents with stars at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock
31mm x 32mm, 4.15g
Gbl SN, Xusro II, IIb/3 (Plate XIII/211-215); Valentine 50
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3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock
32mm, 4.12g
Gbl SN, Xusro II, IIb/3
Note: The fire attendants appear to have rounded headgear versus the expected crescents for years
11-39
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Khusro II, AR Drachm, Year 27 (616/617), Uncertain Site (Fars or Central Iraq)
GDH apzwt | hwslwb
Facing bust, head right, wearing winged crown with star and crescent, inside double dotted-border,
crescents with stars at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock
hptwyst' | WYHC
Fire altar with two attendants, crescents on heads, inside triple dotted-border, crescents with stars at
3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock
31mm x 32mm, 4.12g
Gbl SN, Xusro II, IIb/3 (Plate XIII/211-215); Valentine 50
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Khusro II, AR Drachm, Year 30 (619/620), Uncertain Site (Fars or Central Iraq)
GDH apzwt | hwslwb
Facing bust, head right, wearing winged crown with star and crescent, inside double dotted-border,
crescents with stars at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock
syh | WYHC
Fire altar with two attendants, crescents on heads, inside triple dotted-border, crescents with stars at
3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock
30mm x 31mm, 4.13g
Gbl SN, Xusro II, IIb/3
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Khusro II, AR Drachm, Year 30? (619/620), Uncertain Site (Fars or Central Iraq)
GDH apzwt | hwslwb
Facing bust, head right, wearing winged crown with star and crescent, inside double dotted-border,
crescents with stars at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock
syh | WYHC
Fire altar with two attendants, crescents on heads, inside triple dotted-border, crescents with stars at
3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock
32mm, 3.72g
Gbl SN, Xusro II, IIb/3
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Hormazd VI, AR Drachm, Year 2 (632), Uncertain Site (Fars or Central Iraq)
GDH apzwt | whrmzd
Facing bust, head right, wearing winged crown with star and crescent, inside double dotted-border,
crescents with stars at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock
tyln | WYHC
Fire altar with two attendants, crescents on heads, inside triple dotted-border, crescents with stars at
3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock
32mm, 4.02g
Gbl SN, Hormizd V, Ia/1
Note: Gbl does not list Hormazd V as a usurper, thus his numbers are off by one from Mallon-
McCorgray
Tabaristan
Arab-Sasanian, Umar ibn al-'Ala, Abbassid Governors of Tabaristan, AR Hemidrachm, Year 124
(AH 159 = 775 AD)
AUMR
Facing bust of Umar, head right, wearing winged crown surmounted by star and crescent, inside
single-dotted border, crescents with stars at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock
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Arab-Sasanian, Sa'id ibn Da'laj Suleiman Mukatil (787-789), Abbassid Governors of Tabaristan, AR
Hemidrachm, 136 PYE (Post Yazdgard Era = AH 170 = 787 AD), Tabaristan Mint
Bakh (Arabic script)
Facing bust imitating Khusru II, legend in diamond replacing face, wearing winged crown
surmounted by star and crescent, inside single-dotted border, crescents with stars at 3, 6 and 9
o'clock
||U| in lower left margin, APD in lower-right margin
Pahlavi date | Mint mark
Sasanian style fire altar with two attendants standing facing, crescents on their heads, both hands on
sword hilt, inside triple dotted-border, crescents with stars at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock, three pellets at
the diagonals
23mm x 24mm, 1.49g
Album 65
Note: The obverse legend translates to "good" and was used by Suleiman instead of a portrait as was
forbidden by the Muslim faith to use graven human images. The style on this example is particularly
fine.
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Gbl, Robert, Sasanian Numismatics, Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig, Germany, 1971, 97pp.
Valentine, W. H., Sassanian Coins, Rahul Publishing House, Delhi, India, 1993, 118pp.
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