Reference ID Help - Seljuqs Of Rum, Kaykhusraw II 1/2 Dirham, Lion/Sun

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Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 09/11/2019 2:28 pm Sorting through the latest job lot, and I found this neat little guy Seljuqs of Rum Kaykhusraw II 1237-1246 AR 1/2 Dirhem 19mm, 1.26g Obv: Lion and sun-face motif Rev: Arabic within double flower pattern It seems that this type is quite rare - only 4 listed on Zeno, and one on ACSearch. None of them however have my reverse with the double star/floral pattern. Way outside of my comfort zone here - any help would be appreciated! Report this Post to the Staff

Kushanshah Pillar of the Community United States 1554 Posts	Posted 09/11/2019 9:23 pm It's not a coin of Kaykhusru II. The reverse cites an "Abu Sa'id". Only two come to mind, the well-known Ilkhan and a Timurid, Abu Sa'id Gurkhan. Edited by Kushanshah 09/11/2019 9:59 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Kushanshah Pillar of the Community United States 1554 Posts	Posted 09/11/2019 10:41 pm My best guess at the full reverse legend is (blundered) al sultan al-a'zam / Abu Sa'id / khallada mulkahu. I am also out of my comfort zone but perhaps a local issue of Anatolia citing the Ilkhan Abu Sa'id. Several of that ruler's coppers have a lion and sun motif. Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 09/12/2019 09:47 am Thank you, KS! That was just the nudge I needed. Did some browsing through the Zeno database, and I think I found a match: https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=214448 There are a few more "almost" matches, like you said all are AE fals. I'm still not sure how mine is struck in silver or at least billon - maybe it's an off metal strike, or maybe some enterprising individual plated a fals to pass off as a half dirham? Were silver and copper struck in the same mints during this time? Report this Post to the Staff
Kushanshah Pillar of the Community United States 1554 Posts	Posted 09/12/2019 1:03 pm It is indeed a match to the Zeno coin. I initially thought your coin might be bronze and suggested as much before editing my original post. Some bronze alloys are "whitish". Cleaning and conservation can enhance that appearance. Steve Album notes that more than 150 mints produced silver coins under Abu Sa'id. There are aspects of the inscription that would be odd for silver generally but not completely unexpected in Anatolia, which is where my imagination went. The Zeno post mentions Lutz Ilisch, who is a leading authority. I'm confident now that it's a fals rather than a dirham or fraction. Edited by Kushanshah 09/12/2019 1:05 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 09/13/2019 09:57 am Thanks again! I wish I could get the coin under an XRF machine - I am curious to know what it's made of. In hand, it has the appearance of a 3rd century silvered antoninianus... the fields are silvery and a bit lustrous, and the rough spots are a dull grey. If it isn't silver, I wonder if that could just be due to an abundance of nickel in the alloy, or perhaps another metal? Report this Post to the Staff
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