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GREAT MONGOLS: Chingiz Khan, 1206-1227, AV dinar (2.77g), NM, ND

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:270.00 USD Estimated At:350.00 - 400.00 USD
GREAT MONGOLS: Chingiz Khan, 1206-1227, AV dinar (2.77g), NM, ND
Opening bids do not reflect absentee book bids that have been received.
GREAT MONGOLS: Chingiz Khan, 1206-1227, AV dinar (2.77g), NM, ND, A-C1967var, blundered imitation of a Fatimid dinar of the caliph al-Amir, but unfortunately, a large piece is broken off, Very Fine to Extremely Fine, RRR, ex. Tony Ettinger collection.

This gold coin was found in a Central Asian hoard group of perhaps 25 or 30 gold coins of various Great Mongol types, many of which are in this auction. The group appeared in the market in the late 1990s, from a source in Hong Kong, who said the hoard came from Xinjiang province of China. This example closely resembles a Crusader copy of a Fatimid dinar of al-Amir. One side bears the text ‘al ghaya, “extremely pure”, appropriate for the original Fatimid dinars, but not for the Crusader and Mongol imitations. The same design, also with ‘al ghaya, appears on Chaghatayid silver dirhams of Almaligh (in what is now northwestern Xinjiang) dated AH639 (Zeno-77447). The color of the gold is lighter than the Crusader issues, presumably due to a different alloy or fineness.