ORIENTAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

Secretary General. Mr. M. 1 Broome, Europe: Dr.H. J. van der Wiel,

Annual Subscription

£6,005. Pigs agent >; 9 10. South Asia: Mr. P. P. Kulkarni, Regional Secretaries

General: Mr. G. P. Hennequin, NEWSLETTER no. 107

July - August 1987

This month’s ONS personality is Gilles Hennequin, the General Regional Secretary. Gilles was born in 1934 in the seaside resort of Berck. He has been a resident of Sainte Catherine, on the outskirts of Arras, since 1935. After leaving school he studied at the Universities of Lille and Paris and obtained degrees in history, geography and economics. Then, between 1958 - 62, it was time for National Service, in Algeria. On his return to France he worked as an instructor at Arras teacher training college until 1967 when he went to the USA as 2 visiting lecturer under the Fulbright-Hays programme. 1969-70 saw him as a researcher at the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo. The next six years were spent back in France teaching. Then in 1976 he turned his back on teaching and devoted himself to full-time research in Moslem numismatics at the coin cabinet of the Bibliothéque Nationale in Paris. There, his main long-term assignment is the continuing publication of the catalogue of Islamic coins in the library’s collection (this task

actually began in the 19th century, with three volumes being published during the period 1887 -

1896, Gilles, himself, published vol. 5 of this series in 1985 (see review in Newsletter 102), and is working on volume 4, (Pre-Mongol Asia - Miscellaneous Dynasties). Other activities have included publication of a book entitled “Les Monnaies de Balis’” (Damascus 1978), a catalogue of the oriental coins in the coin cabinet, Marseilles (1983). His current project is the cataloguing of the oriental coins in the museum of the Paris Mint - one book has already been published, a second is due to appear next year. In addition Gilles has published many articles on numismatics, monetary theory in relation to medieval history etc. in various journals. He is a member of an impressive range of societies and associations. Gilles is married, without children, but with two cats. He gives his hobbies as lawn-mowing and musk-rat control (something to do with his garden!) Erratum

In the article on Ken Wiggins in Newsletter 106, we said that he spent the period 1940-53 in Australia. This should have read 1948-53. Our apologies to KW. From the Secretary General

It has been our practice to up-date the List of Members every two years so that members do not have to keep their Newsletters in order to correspond with other members. The next update was therefore due in June 1986. I must apologize for the fact that it is not now expected before the end of June 1987! Our Membership Secretary, Joe Cribb, has battled with the problem of finding a new printer, and arranging for all the details to be recorded on a computer, at a time that coincided with

an immense amount of work in connection with the exhibition at the British Museum and his appointment as a secretary of the Royal Numismatic Society. With the death of our Honorary Member, Nicholas Lowick, Joe has taken on an even greater workload at the British Museum and has been forced to resign as Membership Secretary. We are indeed fortunate that Michael Legg of 336 Honeypot Lane, STANMORE, Middlesex HA7 1DU, came forward and offered to take on the job. I am most grateful to him and look forward now to a period in which membership matters are dealt with promptly. I am also grateful to Joe Cribb for struggling so long to cope with an impossible work load, with the utmost good humour. Michael Broome ONS News

It is understood that some members in the South Asian Region not resident in India are having difficulty obtaining Indian currency for paying their subscription. Such members may, if they prefer, remain on the General Region list provided they pay the normal General Regional subscription of FF 75 to Gilles Hennequin. The reduced subscription of 75 rupees is available only to members who pay their subscription to Mr. Kulkarni.
On November 7th a meeting will take place in Cologne (Hotel Mondial, Bechergasse 10) for members who collect Indian coins. Further details from Nikolaus Ganske, Europaring 9, 5000 K6ln 91, West Germany.
The next ONS meeting in London will be on Saturday 3 October at 9 Montague Street, WC1 (East side of the British Museum) commencing at 2.15 pm. — Members’ News
Bill Warden has recently published his list number 1 5, containing mainly Parthian, Sasanian & Hun coinage, plus some Moghal and Durrani gold, Umayyad gold and silver. This list is available to interested ONS members (see front of this News-letter for Bill’s address).
John L. Pieratt… is collaborating with Daniel Cariou (Nantes) and Anton Fox (Seattle) on the publication of a series of books on the coinage and related material of the area once known as Indo-China. The work will cover:

Designers and engravers. Other publications in this field. The emperors of Vietnam. Details of minting techniques; photographs and history of the mints. The Banque de 1’Indo-Chine. Chop-marks of various types applied in French Indo-China and Cambodia. Hill-tribe jewellery, gold wafers, French club ship tokens, US Vietnam club tokens. Forgeries, varieties, errors, patterns, OMS, essais. Digit design, edge design, border design etc. The 1890 piastre and 1946/7 piastre stories etc. Annam in the French period, Cochin-China, Indo-China, Tonkin, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Praq Bat etc. 5 SIS Oo RAS ee ص‎ يم

Any members wishing to contribute to this opus are invited to contact Mr. Pieratt at the above address. Obituary

We regret to report the death in April 1987 of Dr. R. H. Cormane of Holland.

Members will be interested to note that the Nicholas Lowick memorial Fund has now reached £6000. Included in this figure is a contribution made by the ONS on behalf of its members. The American Numismatic Society (ANS)

On a number of occasions reference has been made in these pages to the American Numismatic Society. As this society has a very important collection of oriental coins, members may like to have some details concerning its objectives, activities and

membership benefits. Purpose The principal objective of the American Numismatic Society is the collection and preservation of numismatic objects with the attendant responsibilities of documentation, scholarly research, and publication in the discipline. The Society’s resources, in terms of collections, library holdings, and personnel, have grown significantly over the years to the extent that the ANS, a privately endowed organization, now ranks among the leading numismatic centres in the world. Membership The membership of the Society consists of Fellows, Associates and Corresponding Members. Applications for Associate membership are welcome from all with an interest in the Society’s work. Fellows, limited in number to 200, comprise the voting class of Society members. Persons residing outside of the United States may be elected Corresponding Members in recognition of their contributions to the field of numismatics. Applications for membership are considered at

quarterly meetings of the Society’s governing Council. Benefits All members of the ANS receive the annual journal, American Numismatic Society Museum Notes, containing

articles of scholarly merit of all periods; the ANS Newsletter, issued quarterly, which contains news of the Society and information on events of interest to the membership; and the Annual Report, which summarizes the activities of all departments for the Society’s fiscal year, October 1 - September 30, and publishes the current lists of members and committees, as well as other pertinent information. All members are also eligible to enter an annual Publications Subscription to receive a range of

Society publications, as issued, at substantially under list price. Members and the general public are welcome to use the facilities of the Society. The brochure, Guide to User Services, describes in detail the research activities which the Society seeks to foster. Meetings The Society holds three members’ meetings each year. The Joseph B. and Morton M. Stack Memorial Lecture is presented at the Spring Meeting in April and the David M. Bullowa Memorial Lecture in October; the Society’s Annual Meeting is held in January at which time members of the curatorial staff present illustrated reports on outstanding accessions of the year. In addition, the Society sponsors conferences in specialized fields. The Coinage of the Americas Conference convenes each fall on a topic pertaining to numismatics of the western hemisphere, combining papers, exhibits and social events over the three days of the conference. Other symposia are held in conjunction with professional meetings in various academic disciplines and to mark special occasions. The Society also hosts socials at annual professional meetings, such as those of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Middle East Studies Association, to bring together alumni of the Society’s Graduate Seminar in Numismatics, members and friends. Local area members are notified of these functions by special invi- tation.

The ANS is an important publisher of numismatic books. The following works on Islamic coinages are currently available from the ANS:

BALOG, Paul: Umayyad, Abbasid & Tulunid Glass Weights & Vessel Stamps, ANSNS 13 (1976), 322pp, 55 pls. $Bound in cloth. $60. ISBN 0 - 89722 - 066 - 8.$ BATES, Michael L.: Islamic Coins, ANS Handbook 2 (1982), 52pp, illustrated, $8. Deluxe boxed edition with 36 slides $39. MILES, George C.: The Coinage of the Amirs of Crete, ANS NNM 160 (1970),,مم86‎ 9 pls. $12. ISBN 0 - 89722 059-5. Any member seeking further information should write to The Secretary, American Numismatic Society, Broadway at 155th Street, New York, NY 10032-7598, U.S.A. Recent Publications

Volume X of the NUMISMATIC DIGEST, the official publication of the Indian Institute of Research in Numismatic Studies, Nasik, has just been published, price 20 $ U.S. Contents include:

The Greek Monogram and Ai-Khanum - the Bactrian Greek city. A. K. Narain. Indo-Greek and Kshaharata coins from the Gujerat seacoast. J. S. Deyell. Legends of the ‘“‘Later’’ Kasana Gold Coins. G. V. Mitterwallner. Coins of Vasishka - Historical Implication. Sarojini Kulshreshtha. Motifs on Gupta Coins and Sassanian Wares. V. S. Pathak. Media of exchange in early mediaeval North India. B. N. Mukherjee. Horseman type tankas of Muhammad bin Sam. P. L. Gupta. Two unusual Mughal forgeries. P. P. Kulkarni. A 200-rupees coin of Aurangzeb. R. D. Shah. Coins of the Katoch rulers of Kangra. P. L. Gupta. Coins of two Mughal puppets. Sanjay Garg. Paisa Do-dandi: A Maratha coin. P. P. Kulkarni & A. H. Siddiqui.

In 1985 the Chinese Numismatic Association brought out a publication entitled “A Collection of Chinese Numismatic Theses”’ (Beijing, Zhongguo Jin-Rong Publishing Co.) This volume includes the following items:

A preliminary probe on ‘Kong Shou pu” by Cai Yunzxhang and Yu Fuwei. The study of the mould of the 5 Zhu cash minted by Shang Lin San Kuan of the emperor Wu period (187-157 BC) by Chen Zunxiang. An investigation on “Cheng Po” of Zhongshan state of the warring states by Cheng Yinggi. A preliminary study on the currency circulation and the channels for currency circulation between the Han and Tang dynasties by Guo Yangang. A probe on the silver coins circulated in the Zhou dynasty by Hao Benxing. On the currency of Three Jin (420-265 BC) by Hu Zhenai. The evolutionary changes of copper from early Qing dynasty to the Republic of China by Kong Xiangxian. Discussion on currency of the West Xia State by Niu Dasheng. A study on the antimony coin struck by Guizhou province by Qian Cunhao. A trial discussion on the currency economy of the Liao Dynasty by Qiao Xiaojin. The evolution of coinage of the Jin dynasty and its social-economic influence by Qiao Yiumei. “Ban Liang” coin and its related questions by Wu Zhenfeng. The different issues and how to determine counterfeits of the coins struck in the Sichuan-Shanxi Base by Wu Zhongya, Jin Cheng and Wu Chouzhong. The study of the currency of the West Han dynasty excavated at Hengyang and Changsha by Zhou Shirong. The “‘Song Tse”’ three hole pu excavated at County Shuo, Shanxi province by Zhu Hua, On the coinage of the Zhou dynasty by Zhu Huo.

Some items relating to Near and Middle Eastern numismatics. (from ANS publication ‘Numismatic Literature” no. 117, March 1987):

Barcelo, M.: Un estudio sobre la estructura fiscal y procedimientos contables del Emirato Omeya de Cordoba (138-300/775-

y del Califato (300-336/912-976). Acta Historica et Archaeologica Mediaevalia No. 5-6 (1984-1985). (Barcelona, Universidad de Barcelona) pp.46-72. New information which contributes to the economic-numismatic fields projects a great number of coins issued, ca. 6 million dinars, for the middle years of the caliphate. Ender, Celil: Candar Ogullarindan K6étiiriim Bayazid’a Ait Degisik Bir Sikke (An interesting Coin Belonging to Bayazid the

Cripple of the Candar Ogullari Beglik). BiiltenTurkNumSoc Vo. 19 (1986), p.20 illus. Fontela, 5.: Monedas inéditas de los Taifas Almohades. GacNum Vol. 82 (1986) pp.63-68 illus.

Heretofore unpublished dinars of Murcia, dated 647 and 648 H, are discussed. Kirkman, Garo: Candar Ogullari Beyliginin Bakir Paralari (Copper Coins of the Candar Ogullari Beglik). BiiltenTurkNumSoc

Vol. 19 (1986) pp.8-19 illus. The author discusses 25 copper coins of the Candar Ogullari Beglik, most previously unknown, and 1 coin of the Anatolian Begliks. Kirkman, Garo: Sarhan Bin Ishak Mangiri (Manghir of Sarhan Bin Ishak). BiltenTurkNumSoc Vol. 19 (1986) pp.26-28 illus.

A new interpretation of the history of Saruhan Ogullari of the Anatolian Begliks is given. A manghir of Sarhan, son of

Ishak Beg, is presented. Olcer, Ciineyt: Hamid Ogullarina Ait Dirhemler (Dirhams of Hamid Ogullari). BiltenTurkNumSoc Vo. 19 (1896) pp.4-7 illus

The author presents two dirhams of Hamid Agullari Beglik of the Anatolian Begliks minted in Berglu. Although minted at the same time and place, the coins carry the names of two different sultans. Olcer, Ciineyt: Karaman Bin Savcinin Bilinmiyen Tarihli Alaiye Akcesi (Alaiye Akce of Karaman Bin Savci with a Heretofore

Unknown Date). BiltenTurkNumSoc Vol. 19 (1986) pp.30-31 illus. The author discusses a unique Alaiye akge, dated 832 H. Olcer, Ciineyt: Karaman Oglu Ali Bey’e Ait Dirhem (A Dirham Belonging to Ali Bey of Karaman Ogullari). BiltenTurkNum-

Soc Vo]. 19 (1986).م‎ 29 illus. The author is able to reconstruct a rare dirham by correlating the representations of several different coins. Olger, Ciineyt: Ladik (Denizli) Beyleri (The Beys of Ladik (Denizli) (. BiltenTurkNumSoc Vol. 19 (1986) pp.21-22 illus. Coins of the Ladik Beys are very rare in Islamic numismatics. A coin of Murad of the Ladik Beys is discussed. Olcer, Ciineyt: Mentese Ogullarina Ait Birkac Sikke (A Few Coins of Mentese Ogullari). BiltenTurkNumSoc Vol. 19 (1986)

pp.23-25 illus. The author describes 4 coins (2 silver and 2 copper). Pinske, Enver: Die Bestimmung der Miinzen des Osmanischen Reiches (18.-20. Jahrhundert). NumBeitr. Vol. 19 No. 1(1986)

pp.6-28. The author discusses the coinage struck between 1703 and 1922 in Turkey as well as its subjugated territories. Qedar, S.: A Hoard of Monetary Reform Fulus. INJ Vol. 8 (1984-1985, publ. 1986) pp.65-75 illus.

The author describes 90 fulus found in the Gaza area. 6 bear the mint name of Iliya (Jerusalem); 7 bear the mint name of Ludd. The rest indicate no mint. Undated they were struck from 78 to 87 H (AD697-706). As the coins are overstrikes, many underlying Arab-Byzantine types can be recognized. Saenz-Diez, J.-I.: Acufiaciones de los reyes marroquies relacionados con la corona de Portugal (1500-1578). III Congresso

Nacional de Numismatica, Actas, Sintra 1985. (Lisbon, 1986) pp.447-460 illus. The author studies the coinages of al-Bortugali and al-Mutawakkil, particularly the relationship with the Portuguese

crown. Saenz-Diez, J.-I.: Ziri y el Fez cordobés del ano 388 (998). GacNum Vol. 81 (1986) pp.27-34 illus.

The author catalogues 24 coins of Hisham II struck in Fez in 388 for Ziri b.’Atiga.

Abish Bint Sa’d and her coinage by R. J. Hebert. (Hamdard Islamicus Vol. IX No. 2, Summer 1986).

The author deals with the life of this the tenth and last Salghurid ruler of Fars, and her coinage. An annotated numismatic bibliography of Portuguese India by R. J. Hebert. (Indica, Vol. 23 (1986) - organ of the Heras

Institute of Indian History and Culture, St. Xavier’s College, Bombay 400001). Exhibition in Switzerland

Any member interested in Chinese currency and visiting the Swiss town of Winterthur between 7 May 1987 and 16 January

1988 can see an exhibition entitled ‘Chinesisches Geld aus drei Jahrtausenden’ (Chinese money from three millenia) put on by the town’s Miinzkabinett und Antikensammlung. The address is Villa Bihler, Lindstrasse 8. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thurs- days and Saturdays, 14.00 - 17.00.

Indo Scythic and Indo Parthian coin hoards by R. C. Senior

It is rare for hoards to arrive intact at the bazaars and museums of Pakistan and India; they tend to get parcelled and separated’very quickly. Here I have noted a few hoards that I examined, sometimes in haste, over the last 13 years. The first was in Kabul Museum in 1974, the famous Mir Zakah hoard. In very cramped and ill-lit conditions I photographed nearly 4000 coins - all the drachms of Azes II. The photographs do not show the obverse Kharosthi control marks but clearly identify the main types and monograms and allow one to make a comparison of rarity of the different types, which I have found surprisingly accurate over the years (see table 1).

Nearly 79% of the hoard is of the Zeus Nikephoros type and 20% Pallas in her various attitudes. The type that I have classed

as ‘Hermes Nikephoros’ is an unusual variety, previously unreported, where Zeus holds a caduceus not a sceptre, his diadem ties are shown Ww and 2 on the obverse is replaced with the cursive form w. The type M837 was a new discovery and matches the unique tetradrachm in the British Museum with the same obverse. A second specimen (now in my collection) has since come to light and this is also from the same hoard but the probably larger part, which never reached the museum but was dispersed through the bazaar and mostly reached the U.S.A. Type M815b is known from just a few specimens and is very rare indeed. Type 118 252 is also a scarcish type. — Table

TYPE MoN No ZEusS NIKEPHOROS mes5e/q ا‎ Are | 2dIt

HERMES MIKE PHOReS M- HH 1 ZN AZES TL with speps. M 934 ~?

PALLAS LEFT MBS اه‎ 71

a

»6 “ ب‎ bb IMB ١ PALLAS FACING M8256!) K | 12 “ bik | 2 “ “ eR Pa

WD	Iti
© 1	48

MMtalk +	131
ajesa eit) ©

oRos Table 2c. ZEUS NIKEPHOROS | 0 4 58

8	re-cuk diel
2	R°
- -	انم‎
	Yee	١Total	Table 2a PALLAS 6110

RATARATASA RATADLRATASA +ع كوه‎ [7% op | 6ه‎ |1897 [hh 8 7] 4 اب‎ ]6 ١ 2 3 ١ Lome 4 4- ales. ١ |2 | | { | |

beep | ECC Rea Ff \ 72237 ا‎ | \ yxy \ 20 ١ 3 +

Table 2b ZEUS NIKEPHSRES- RATARAIRSA.

msi [ms [me |S [AP | we جح لا‎ | P ty] عم في‎ | 83 ١ 2 ١ م|‎

T

*| ‘mm. Hal y 1| mE امب‎ yy cee eee i es: Le 5 ١

Table 3

ZEUS NIKE PHORSS RATAD!RATASA oR اعلا‎ <7 RG DRE [oF | P عا ) 4 | ا‎ | / ٍِع‎ Hott ا‎ | PLP | ١,جا‎ 3, | > | | | _ مه‎ | |

foto	١7

ها‎
	١

Considering how plentiful the tetradrachms of the Poseidon type are, the corresponding drachms are very scarce indeed and M829c is unique (M829b is the same as M829a but the letter partly off the coin). The M849a drachm is known only from two specimens, the Kabul coin and mine, both ex-Mir Zakah. The other M 849 coins are also fairly scarce with the round theta variety being scarcest.

Hoard A. See tables 2a, b, c. Also reportedly from Mir Zakah this hoard consisted of 287 mostly EF condition drachms, all but one of Azes II. They were as follows:

(1) Azes I crude style city goddess type. King with spear on obv.? before horse and ٠ behind. Reverse monograms and letters (2) Azes II Poseidon type Extremely rare. (3) Azes II Poseidon type with unique monogram corrupt Greek legend with AZGA reading inwards. (4) Azes II Pallas arm at side type. / before horse, @ on reverse.

4 before king mounted with spear. is p on reverse and Poseidon holds a sceptre ending in*<

a p on reverse and sceptre لو‎. No obverse control mark but

The other 283 coins were split as in the tables with the Kharosthi obverse control mark shown in the vertical columns. 57 are of Pallas (20%) and the rest Zeus Nikephoros.

Hoard B. See table 3. A Parcel of 47 coins from a much larger hoard found in Chach.

Hoard C. A small earthenware pot containing 200 thick posthumous Azes II drachms of ‘helmeted’ Zeus Nikephoros type found in the soil of Taxila itself. There is little trace of silver wash on these coins and they are almost pure copper and very dumpy. 39 coins were unclear and the other 161 had the reverse control marks 6 ب‎, 158 had ¥ on the obverse, and 3 had#. To be continued. Amravati - an unnoticed mint of the Nizams of Hyderabad by Prashant P. Kulkarni

Amravati in Maharashtra, situated at 20° 56’ N, 77° 48° E, was ruled by the Bhonsla family of Nagpur during the 18th century. After the defeat of the Bhonslas by the British in 1803 AD, the town was given to the Nizam of Hyderabad as a favour from the Englishmen.

The mint at Amravati started in 1725 AD. It worked for some time striking copper coins and was shut down in 1772 AD. The Nizam ordered the mint to reopen around 1810 AD to manufacture copper and silver coins. Permission to strike gold coins was also granted in 1821. Thereafter the mint continued to operate for a number of years until it was finally closed in 1847AD.!

S. Tarapore published? two rupees of Sikandar Jah, one bearing the word Umrao and another the word Maharaj. He could not determine any significant meaning for these words. But, now a coin has turned up showing the complete word as Umravati or Amravati which can be safely attributed to the Amravati mint discussed in the preceding paragraphs.

The coin, dated 1240, bears the usual legend of Muhammad Akbar 11 along with the mint name Farkhanda Bunyad Hyderabad and the word (9171! Amravati to the left of the ‘Nizam’s sword’ on the reverse. A similar coin dated 1238 bears the word عا دام‎ Maharaj to the right of the sword. Both coins are illustrated below.

EE?

Amravati rupee, 11.100 gms, 20.5mm. Maharaja rupee, 11.050 gms, 21 mm.

We have included the Maharaja coin here as it comes from the Amravati area. During 1238 AH the Subhedar of the Nizam at Amravati was Raja Govind Bakhshi. He enjoyed wide powers and was regarded as the most important person in Berar. It is very likely that he ordered the title Maharaja to be put on the coins, and that this was later on replaced by the mint name

Amravati. An Amravati rupee of AH 1241 has also been noticed.

Hyderabad Residency Records, Vol. 79, p.157 (unpublished original documents)

2s “Some Bahamani Mughal and Asafjahi coins’, JNSI V, pp.79ff.

An 18th Century Bhutanese Rupee by N. G. Rhodes

I have briefly described the coinage of Bhutan in ONS Information Sheet No. 10 (January 1977), but new discoveries continue to be made.

“Deb Rupee’’. Weight 4.6g. Diam. 20mm. 2. Rupee. Weight 11.5g. Diam. 26mm. Type 3 of the Inf. Sheet, with Tibetan letter N Same obverse die, and similar reverse die (Ma) at top right of obverse. Dated c.1790-1840. to No. l.

A coin similar to No. 1 was illustrated by J. Princep in “Useful Tables” (1834), giving a firm terminus ante quem. On stylistic grounds, however, I would place this variety among the earliest of the Bhutanese copies of the Narayani Rupee of Cooch Behar, and hence probably just before 1800 AD. This piece copies the light weight standard of the Cooch Behar coins.

Coin No. 2, however, is remarkable in being a full Rupee, struck to the standard of the British Murshidabad Rupee, 1 1.66g. Indeed it is slightly heavier than the French Arkot Rupee, 11.3g, which is also occasionally found in Bhutan.

It is hard to imagine these two silver pieces circulating side-by-side, with the larger one worth 2.5 times the smaller. In 1788 AD the British, who effectively controlled all the territory south of Bhutan, ordered the closure of the Cooch Behar mint and tried to introduce Rupees as the main coinage of the area, in place of the light Narayani Rupee. They were not immediately successful in this project; the people refused to accept the new rupees, and it was only in the 1860s that the British Indian coinage was fully accepted. Presumably the full rupee described here was struck soon after 1788AD as an experiment, copying the British rupee. When it was clear that the people preferred the old, light, Narayani Rupee, no further pieces were struck to the heavy standard.

Although a few other Bhutanese silver rupees have been discovered, they are of light weight, and seem to be Double Deb Rupees. This is the only example I know of struck to the British Indian standard. A new name on coins of Fas: Ma’n ben ‘Abd al-‘Aziz by J. I. Saenz-Diez

A new name of one of the generals of ‘Amer (Almanzor), Hajeb of the Caliph Hisham of Cordoba (978-1010), has recently been found on a coin struck at Fas in 390 (1000 AD).

Until then, only two such governors were recorded on Fas coinage; Wadeh and ‘Abd Allah.

According to Ibn Idhari, other commanders sent to Fas by ‘Amer were Isma’il ben al-Buri and Ma’n Ibn al-‘Aziz.

Numismatic evidence now confirms the historic literature: one dirham, struck in Fas in 390 carries the name of his general Ma’n ibn Abd AIl-‘Aziz. He belonged to a very well known family: the Tujibis, from Zaragoza.

The coin shows the general’s name in the field of the obverse below the Kalima.

An aberrant dating of a southern-Sung cash by Dr. T. D. Yih

Starting with the reign period Shun Hsi (1174-89) of emperor Hsiao Tsung, the majority of the bronze southern-Sung cash bear a year indication on the reverse side. In cases in which the year indication is higher than 10, the number ten (+) is on top of the hole and the rest of the number below the 1201.7

According to Schjéth! this is also true for the one- and two-cash pieces from the Shun Yu period (1241-52). Recently. however, I came into the possession of a two-cash piece from this period with an aberrant year indication (see fig.)

Obverse	Reverse
normal	abnormal
The supposed year 11 (=1251) indication having the 10 (+) on the top and the one (-) at the right side of the hole, clearly	differs from the normal piece as shown in Schjéth under No. 1020.	normal abnormal

The supposed year 11 (=1251) indication having the 10 (+) on the top and the one (-) at the right side of the hole, clearly differs from the normal piece as shown in Schjéth under No. 1020.

Reference books available to me such as Schjoth, Lockhart2 and Tsai? do not figure such a variant,

I would appreciate receiving information from fellow cash collectors about this and possibly other aberrant year indications. Literature

Schjéth, F. (1976) Chinese currency. 2. Lockhart, J. S. (1974) The Lockhart collection of Chinese copper coins. 3. Tsai, O. Y. (1973) An illustration of Chinese coins.

exceptions are the iron multiple cash coins from some reign periods, the supposed 5-cash pieces from the Shao Hsi (1190-

period which bear at their reverse sides in addition to the design over the top, the numerals 4 & 7-9 on the right and left side of the hole (S.785-87). Similarly, some 3-cash pieces from the Ch’ing Yuan (1 195-1200) period which bear on their reverses some unexplained high numerals > = * 2 B (S.830-34) below and again the design & on the top of the hole. Pattern Kwangtung Cash struck in Birmingham by N. G. Rhodes

The above three cash pieces were all patterns struck by The Mint, Birmingham, Ltd., about 1888. Nos. 1 & 3 are brass pieces with a square hole in the centre, similar to the pieces struck in large numbers in Canton, using the machinery supplied by the Birmingham Mint, but using slightly different dies. Although neither piece was illustrated in the fine work by R.N. J. Wright! or J. D. Sweeny?, illustrations of both have previously appeared in a Birmingham context - No. 1 in a book of testimonials published by The Mint in 1904 and No. 3 in the form of a line drawing in the London Graphic of 19th May, 1888.

in contrast to the uncirculated state of the above two coins, No. 2 shows clear signs of wear. | acquired it in a junk box ona stall in a London street market about 30 years ago. At first sight it looks like a double obverse brass cash coin with the centre hole not punched out. While this is correct, it is interesting to observe that one side is struck with the obverse die of coin No.

1, while the other side is struck with the obverse die of coin No. 3. It must be some form of trial piece, or mint sport, struck

in 1888 which was removed from the mint, and not valued by its owner! Notes

- N. J. Wright, ‘”‘“Some Further Information on the Origins of the Milled Coinage of Imperial China”, Num. Chron. 1974, pp. 158-73.

James 0. Sweeny, ‘‘A Numismatic History of the Birmingham Mint’’, Birmingham 1981. The brass cash illustrated on p.120 under reference CN25 is struck from the dies used in Canton.

A Puzzling Coin from French Indo-China by John L. Pieratt

The coin illustrated below first appeared in a French magazine. It is made of zinc, and has a diameter of 24mm. It is the same size as the sapeque and % centime. The RF (République Frangaise) is similar to that appearing on the % centime 1935-1940, while the four Chinese characters, meaning “‘one part of hundred, one cent” are the same as appear on the one centime 1885-

The edge is smooth and there is a broad raised rim,

The origin of this piece is very puzzling. It is unlikely that the Vichy French or the Japanese would have used RF on a new

design with round centre hole. Bao Dai would surely have demanded the traditional square hole. Perhaps it represents an

emergency coinage, like various other zinc issues made from dies created from moulds of existing coins, e.g. zinc 1938 and

1939 S centimes, zinc 1939 centime, zinc 1939, 1940 and 1941 ten centimes, zinc 1939, 1941 20 centimes. Perhaps, on the other hand, it was produced by the students, at the Hanoi Polytechnic, who produced the 1941 and 1942 % centime lead trial piece that was later produced in zinc by the Osaka mint in Japan. René Mercier, a sculptor and engraver, was head of the Practical works division of the Far East School in Hanoi. This school produced the character Fu coinage in 1943-44 for the opium trade and the Bao Dai brass 18mm sapeque with a square hole, that was one of the last cash coins to be minted. It

would be nice if the family of René Mercier were to find an example of the present coin amongst his belongings. New Vietnam Coins

John L. Pieratt has sent details of recently issued coins struck for Vietnam by the Havana Mint. Details are:

Set of three copper-nickel coins, each with face value 10 dong, on the subject of Nature. Animal heads are featured viz, a buffalo, peacock and elephant.

As above but in silver, face value 100 dong, with the whole animal depicted. Summer Olympiad (Seoul), silver 100 dong, featuring a swordsman.

Winter Olympiad (Calgary), silver 100 dong, featuring a skier - one wonders how many people go skiing in Vietnam!. Silver 100 dong featuring a Vietnamese boat.

Silver 100 dong featuring a Jaguar car (sic!) All these coins are available singly or in sets (where appropriate). Prices range from $12 to $15 each. (Payment required in advance by bank draft or money order, but NOT against a U.S. bank!) For further details write to Empresa Cubana de Acufiaciones, Aguiar no, 402, Obrapia, Ciudad Habana, Cuba.

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