I have 3 coins that are apparently Persian Civic Coins, although the category covers some neighboring areas as well. I have been largely unable to identify them, or what the inscriptions may mean. Can anyone help me with any information on identity or translations? Or provide any useful references? These do not match any "typical" examples given in a few references.
Obverse and reverse are in sequence:
Minted in Qomm?? 25mm dia, 2 mm thick, 10.2 grams
A peacock, 21-24mm dia, 2 mm thick, 8.2 grams
22 mm dia, Nicely hammered edge, about 20 sides, 6 mm thick, 20.3 grams!
I think I found the 1st coin in my Valentine page 100/101 as nbr 5.
"Erivan under Persian rule: ape in tree looking back AH1128"
I can see the last 8 of the year at 9 o'clock.
Thank you both for looking. I agree that the 3rd coin seems to fit the pattern from India, but I scanned through a large portion of my copy of Goron & Goenka and I could not find this coin. Perhaps I missed it. Regarding Valentine, I see three books that you may be referring to:
Val CCI
The Copper Coins of India by W. H. Valentine (Spink)
Val CCMS
Modern Copper Coins of the Muhammadan State by W. H. Valentine (Spink & Son, LTD. 1911)
Val Sn
Sassanian Coins by W. H. Valentine (Rahul Publishing House, Delhi, India, 1993)
Could you please tell me which one you may have found this in? Also, I do not have a copy of any of these three books, would you please provide some basic information on what the reference says about this coin? My initial interpretation of the image was a human figure kneeling and bowing forward, but that was a subjective guess. Thank you both for your searches and suggestions.
I found an online copy of Valentine, and that monkey looking backward pretty much has to be the correct identification. The inscription on the top line of the reverse seems to be a bit different, but its all calligraphy anyway and the rest is a pretty good match.
The third coin looks more Mughal era, later than Sultanates, so probably not in Goron & Goenka. Better places to look would be South Asian Coins and Paper Money by Cuhaj or the Zeno database.
I compared the third coin to Mughal coins on the Zeno database and on other internet sites, and I agree it is very much in the style of those coins. Several figures on my coin especially resemble some of the coins of Akbar, but there is no really good match that I could find for both obverse and reverse on the net. I am requesting the Cuhaj South Asian book from interlibrary loan.
For identifying the 3rd coin, likely from India, I have obtained a copy of South Asian Coins by Cuhaj and also I have the Krause catalog of World Coins 1601-1700. I went carefully through each reference but with very limited success. Listed coins that were somewhat similar to mine are all copper dams of Muhammad Akbar, 963-1014 AH, 1556-1605 AD, but there is no good match for mine. Neither reference has photos with every coin listing, so mine is probably not photographed in them, and I am having trouble reading this script so I cannot identify the mint name or even confirm it is this ruler. The coins photos that I found are similar or close to mine for either the obverse or the reverse, but no single coin photo comes close to both obverse and reverse. I assume that the coin I have is from a listed but non-photographed coin in these references. I apparently need someone who can actually read this coin, can anyone help me?
Here are the similar coins I found listed:
Krause 1601-1700, p 1120 KM28.19 Type 28 Copper Dam AH1011 from Dogaon is somewhat similar, but reverse clearly has a different word.
Krause 1601-1700, p 1120 KM32.17 Type 32 Copper Dam from Lahore 1601-1605 somewhat similar obverse.
Cuhaj South Asian, p 27 KM 32.20 Type 32 copper dam from Multan mint 1592-1596 resembles the reverse.
Cuhaj South Asian, p 28 KM 32.24 Type 32 copper dam from Sambhal mint 1592-1600 resembles the obverse.
Cuhaj South Asian, p 24 KM 28.2 Type 28 copper dam from Ahmadabad mint AH980-995 is close to the obverse.
Cuhaj South Asian, p 27 KM 32.31 Type 32 copper dam from Lahore mint 1600-1601 is close to the obverse.
I am still unsuccessful with the peacock coin too., but I am delighted with the Armenian/Ape in tree identification.
I think you're on the right track for the third coin. Sometimes it's very difficult to get an exact match for a copper dam. Perhaps an attribution of India, Mughal, Akbar 1556-1605, copper dam will have to suffice for now, unless one of our experts on India coinage has a better idea.
