Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Islam rare coins auction

Rare Islamic coins will be auctioned by A. H. Baldwin and Sons Ltd in London at The Westbury Hotel, Mayfair on 25 April 2012. The auction will include around 150 rare Islamic coins that record important events in the history of Islam and some of its great rulers. Almost all the famous gold dinar will be in this auction including Umayyads and Abbasids gold dinar. The world most expensive gold dinar today is the Umayyad Dinar dated 105h (723AD), struck from gold mined at a location owned by the Caliph himself, auctioned by Morton and Eden for £3,720,000. A record that is not easy to break since most gold dinar sold for £300,000-400,000 before.

Here are some of the coins that will be auction:

Byzantine Gold Solidus which shows the Emperor Heraclius and his two sons on the obverse and bears the kalima (the Islamic statement of faith), on the reverse. The earliest Islamic gold coin to contain the Kalim, the statement of faith, bismillah la ilah illa Allah wahda Muhammad Rasul Allah (no god but God unique, Muhammad is the messenger of God).

Umayyad Gold Dinars struck in the year 77 of the Hijra by the Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, the most sought after Islamic coins. This was the very first fully Islamic gold coin, bearing words from the Holy Qur’an without any of the imagery that had been seen on its Byzantine type predecessors.

Abbasids Silver Dirhams, the first silver coins issued in al-Yamama, the district around today’s Saudi Arabian capital city, al-Riyadh.

Abbasids Gold Dinar, Caliph al-Mu’tazz  dated 252H. It is recorded that it was struck from gold which had been used to cover the Makam Ibrahim, outside the Ka‘ba. The makam is one of the great relics associated with the Prophet Muhammad, and this outstanding example of the coin, which so eloquently recalls this sacred spot, is extremely rare.

Fatamid Dinar, al-‘Aziz Billah, Makka 366H. After al-Mu’izz conquered Egypt he went on to seize the Holy City of Makka in the Hijaz. This excessively rare dinar was struck in the name of his successor al-‘Aziz during the latter’s struggle with the Qarmatids. Another rare Gold Dinar was struck in Makka.

Bronze Medal of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II bearing the initials PM in his turban, which is attributed to Pietro di Martino da Milano, one of the great Renaissance master medallists. Thought to be unique, this finely cast medal provides an astonishing insight into the character of the great Sultan so soon after his conquest of Constantinople in 1453 CE.

Other coins that will be auction including Gold Guinea of King ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud bearing the mint name Makka al-Mukarrama struck in the year 1370H (1950-1951 CE), Silver Medal with an elegant floral pattern that was issued by the Abbasid Caliph al-Radi billah in Madinat al-Salam (“City of Peace”), Gold Five Ashrafi piece struck by Ahmad III during Turkey’s “Tulip Period”, Ottoman Five Guinea piece in the name of ‘Abd al-‘Aziz bin Mahmud struck in Misr (Egypt), Al-Musta’sim Abbasid Gold Dinar struck in Madinat al-Salam and many more great Islamic coins.

For further information and to register your interest, you can visit Baldwin and sons at www.baldwin.co.uk.