Mavi Boncuk |An Islamic inscription on an English coin
This unique gold coin of Offa, king of Mercia, is one of the most remarkable English coins of the Middle Ages. It is remarkable because it imitates a gold dinar of the caliph al-Mansur, ruler of the Islamic Abbasid dynasty. Although the Arabic inscription is not copied perfectly, it is close enough that it is clear that the original from which it was copied was struck in the Islamic year AH 157 (AD 773-74). It seems that the engraver had no understanding of the Arabic script: the name and title OFFA REX has been inserted upside down in relation to the Arabic inscription.
Diameter: 20 mm
Weight: 4.280 g
Gold imitation dinar of OffaKingdom of Mercia, England, AD 773-96
Weight: 4.280 g
Gold imitation dinar of OffaKingdom of Mercia, England, AD 773-96
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