ORIENTAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

Secretary General Europe: Dr.H. J. van der Wiel, Mr. M. R. Broome, UK & Eire: Mr. K. W. Wiggins, Flat

Newsletter Editor America: Mr. W. B. Warden, Jr., Mr. S. Goron, South Asia: Mr. P. P. Kulkarni, Annual Subscription £6.00; H. Fl. 25; FF 75;

Regional Secretaries NEWSLETTER No. 121 General: Mr. G. P. Hennequin,

November - December 1989 ONS News

The London meeting of the ONS duly took place on 4 November with 25 members attending. Unfortunately, Mike Legg was unable to be present to give his talk on the coins of Tipu Sultan; Nicholas Rhodes, however, agreed to fill the breech at very short notice, giving a talk on Chinese cash made in Khotan during the T’ang dynasty. A small auction raised £148 towards society funds and our thanks are due to Spink & Son Ltd. for kindly donating a number of coins.

The next London meeting will take place on Saturday 7 April 1990, commencing 14.15 at 9 Montague Street, WC1.

Two ONS members received awards at the recent American Numismatic Association’s 98th Anniversary Convention. The Howland Wood Memorial Best of Show Exhibit Award was presented to John Page for his exhibit ‘‘Coins of India - Punchmarked Coins 6th Century to 2nd Century B.C.”; Mr. Page also received a John 5. Davenport award for exhibits of foreign coins issued 1500 and later for display of ‘“‘Coins of India, British Imperial period”, as did Dr. Prabha Ramakrishnan for her display ‘‘Coins of the British East India Co.”

XIth International Numismatic Congress, Brussels, Belgium, 8th-12th September 1991

More details are now available of the arrangements for this congress. There will be at least six parallel sessions and many specialised sections so that discussions can look in detail at particular numismatic problems. There will also be a number of “Round Table” or “Workshop” sessions to bring people together more informally. ONS are planning at least 3 Workshops; on Islamic, Indian and Far Eastern themes, depending on the interests and support of members attending the Congress. However, at present, it seems that more papers on Islamic subjects would be welcome. If you can present a short paper of

15 to 20 minutes duration, please write as soon as possible, to the Secretariat so that your paper can be included in the programme. The address is: Ghislaine Moucharte, Collége Erasme, Place Blaise Pascal 1, 1348 LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium (Telex Belgium UCLAC 59516). Other News

The Society for South Asian Studies are organising a number of events in 1990. In association with the ONS, two coin study

days will take place on 3 February and 24 November, 2 - 5 pm. The 3 February event will be at the British Museum Education Department, 38 Russell Square, London WC1, and will be entitled ‘New Approaches to Indo-Greek Coins’. The 4 November event will take place at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford, and is entitled ‘Method in the Study of Indian Coinage’.

Two one day colloquia are also being arranged in association with the British Museum, on 5 May and 27 October, at the British Museum Education Department, from 10 am to 4.30 pm. The first of these will deal with silver resources in ancient India: mines, coins, etc., and the second ‘the chronology of Gandharan art’. Numismatic papers will be given at both colloquia.

The above events are part of a programme that will continue in future years. For further details please contact Joe Cribb at the Department of Coins and Medals, British Museum, London WC1B 3DG, telephone 01-323-8585.

ONS member F. THIERRY has been appointed to fill the newly created full-time position of keeper of Oriental coins at the Paris Coin Cabinet (Department of Coins Medals & Antiques, National Library). He succeeds A. NEGRE who retired in early 1989 after 11 years as the last in a discontinuous line of acting keepers usually in part-time positions and not infrequently on nominal salaries.

Born in 1950, Thierry was trained as a fine arts and manual crafts high-school instructor, subsequently teaching himself most of the Far Eastern languages. His several books and many articles have established him as a leading authority in the fields of Chinese and Vietnamese numismatics. He will now expand his interests into the other areas of Oriental numismatics, while continuing to prepare the catalogue of Chinese coins in the Paris collection.

Oriental numismatists of all denominations will doubtless feel indebted to C. MORRISSON, the Byzantine coinage specialist and member of the bureau of the International Numismatic Commission who took over in 1988 as head of the

Paris Coin Cabinet, for her successful efforts in persuading several layers of officialdom up to the decision-making level that the time had come for a more decent treatment of one of the world’s largest collections of Oriental material.

Mike Robinson, recently returned from a trip to the Netherlands, reports that the national collection is now housed at the Rijksmuseum, Het Koninklijk Penningkabinet, Rapenburg 28, Leiden (Postal address: Postbus 11028, 2301 EA Leiden). The Cabinet has a large library which may be visited upon application. An 18 page catalogue ‘“‘Boekenlijst: niet-westerse numismatik’’ has been produced, listing both books and articles (including some ONS Occasional Papers). Mike was particularly impressed by a public coin display at the Teylers Museum, Spaarne 16, Haarlem. As well as quite a few Dutch coins, there were some magnificent medals, 28 ‘‘trays’’ in all. Not open on Mondays, this museum is also worth visiting for its unique collection of old scientific apparatus, fossils, minerals, paintings etc. Perhaps our Dutch members could provide additional details of coin collections held in Dutch museums. Details of new members will be contained in Newsletter 122. New and Recent Publications

Tawfiq Ibrahim has provided details of three articles he has published in Spanish journals: i, ‘ »٠ Abd Allah b. Yassas encargado de la ceca de Cordoba en el afio 327 or 329H?”. The article concludes that the official in question was probably in charge of the Cordoba mint for a brief period in AH 329.

ii. “Nota sobre un quirate anOnimo y su problematica”’. The author suggests the coin may be an issue of Ahmed ibn Qasi, who, proclaiming himself Mahdi, ruled parts of the Algarve from AH 539 until his assassination in AH 546.

iii. | ‘“‘Dinares almoravides en la coleccién de improntas del I.V.D.J. no recogidas por Hazard”’. This article gives details of casts in the collection of former numismatist Antonio Prieto y Vives of a number of dinars in the Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid, which were not included in Hazard’s book ‘The Numismatic History of Late Medieval North Africa’ (New York, 1952), and Additions & Supplementary Notes (ANS Museum Notes XIII, New York, 1966).

Danish member Uno Barner Jensen has published a report of his recent visit to the Government Museum, Madras, in Nordisk Numismatisk Unions Medlemsblad, nr. 8, November 1989. During the visit Mr. Jensen inspected the museum’s collection of Danish lead coins of Tranquebar. He saw 81 lead coins in all, 48 of which were forgeries sold to the museum during the period 1920-30 by the same person who sold other such forgeries to the Royal Collection, Copenhagen and the Swedish collector Axel Wahlstedt. Photographs of all the forgeries are provided in the report. The net result is that 27 types of lead coins should be removed from previously published catalogues of the series.

a Michael Mitchiner has published an article entitled ‘Evidence for Viking-Islamic trade provided by Samanid silver coinage’. This appears in East and West, vol. 37, Nos. 1-4 (December 1987).

Spink Numismatic Circular for October 1989 contains an article by K. Gabrisch and N. G. Rhodes entitled “Nepalese medals of the 3rd Nepal-Tibet war - 1855-6’. The November Circular includes an item by Ken Wiggins entitled ‘’ issue of the 19 San Sikka rupee of the Calcutta mint” and one by Bent Juel-Jensen asking whether the design of one of Offa’s coins was inspired by the silver of King Ebana of Aksum.
The following articles have appeared in recent issues of World Coin News:

‘Thailand primer & market report” by Bob Reis (vol. 16, no. 35, August 29th 1989)

ii. “The riddle of Taiwan’s military ration dollars” by Jeff Caseria (vol. 16, no. 36, September Sth 1989).

iii, ‘‘Heavy Indian silver punch-marked coin reported” by L. C. Gupta (vol. 16, no. 37, September 12th 1989). This coin is believed to be a modern forgery.

Miinzenhandlung Schulten & Co. GmbH (Klingelpiitz 16, 5000 Kéln 1, W. Germany) have recently published a book by Hans Herrli entitled ‘Zahlen, Ziffern, Zeitrechnungen - ein numismatisches Handbuch’. The book provides information on figures and dating systems that appear on coins worldwide from antiquity to modern times. The almost two hundred pages bear many excellently and accurately drawn figures and coins exemplifying the figures and dating-systems described in the book. Much space is devoted to figures and dating-systems found on oriental coins. An essential reference book for members conversant with German and likely to be of considerable use even to those who are not. Price DM 68. ISBN 3921 302-49-8.
‘The Dutch Power in Kerala (1729-1758) by M. ©. Koshy, Delhi 1989. 334 pages and maps. Available for 155 rupees from Indian Books Centre, 40/5 Shakti Nagar, Delhi-1 10007, India.
Robert Tye (Poll Toran, Loch Eynort, South Uist, Western Isles, UK, PA81 5SJ) has produced list no. 20 “Ancient & Medieval World Coins’. The list proper is preceded by an article entitled ‘Common coins: Uncommon men’, which after an explanatory preamble goes on to describe some of the achievements of Wang An Shih, an important reformer of Sung China. Strangely enough, the article mentions Ibn Khaldun only once.
S Album has published his lists nos.60 & 61. These are in a much simpler format than hitherto, without photographs, and are likely to be the pattern for the future. Steve intends to devote more time to research and writing about Islamis numismatics, but still hopes to produce 10-12 lists a year.
A list recently received from Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., of Post Box 5715, 54 Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055, India, gives details of 107 different books on Indian numismatics. Anybody interested please contact them direct.

ONS Meeting in Tiibingen 30 April - 1 May 1988 (continued)

Johann-Christoph Hinrichs (Bremen): Sultan und Kalif auf der Miinzen der Seldschuken in Anatolien

Der Referent stellte das Ergebnis einer ebenso umfangreichen wie sorgfaltigen Untersuchung seldschukischer Miinzen, die in Anatolien gepragt worden waren, vor. Die Analyse zeigte eine Fiille von Widerspriichen in der Datierung und andere Umgereimtheiten, die zum grésseren Teil bisher noch nicht erklart werden kénnen. Typische Beispiele sind: Eine Miinze von Kaiqubad I tragt auf der Vorderseite das Jahr 624 in Zahlen (ganz ungewohnlich!) und auf der Riickseite das Jahr 625, wie iblich, ausgeschrieben. Ein anderes Exemplar (vermutlich aus Sivas) zeigt die Jahreszahlen 624 und 627 (!). Bemerkenswert sind auch Miinzen aus Kaiseri, die 6 Jahre nach dem Tod des letzten Kalifen (656 AH bzw. 1258 AD in Bagdad ermordet) noch dessen Namen und vollen Titel tragen. Noch erstaunlicher ist eine Miinze des Osmanen-Sultans Urchan (um 730 AH) die ebenfalls den Namen des letzten Kalifen al-Mustansir bi-llah tragt und deren Riickseite damit einer Miinze von Kaiqubad I aus

den Jahren 627-629 zum Verwechseln ahnlich sieht. Dieses Stiick ist ein Beweis dafiir, dass selbst in dieser spaiten Zeit noch die Erinnerung an den abbasidischen Kalifen wach und das Bediirfnis nach einem geistlichen Oberhaupt aller Muslime noch vorhanden war. Auch zahlreiche Widerspriiche in der Regierungszeit zwischen literarischen Quellen und Datierungen auf

Minzen konnten aufgefunden, aber vorlaufig noch nicht erklart werden. Lutz Ilisch (Weil am Rhein): Die Anfange der osmanischen Kupferpragung nach den Grabungsfundmiinzen von Pergamon

Das bereits im Rahmen des Deutschen Numismatikertages 1988 in Miinster gehaltene Referat ging der Frage nach, ob das Miinzwesen des osmanischen Reiches bereits von Anfang an einer differenzierten Geldwirtschaft mit Edelmetall und Kupferwahrung entsprach, oder ob sich diese Differenzierung erst nach der Mitte des 14. Jahrhunderts entwickelte. Der bisherige Forschungsstand deutete auf einen Beginn der Silberpragung spatestens in den 1320ern (die Pragung im Namen mongolischer Khane mag dem schon einige Jahrzehnte lang vorausgegangen sein), wogegen Kupfermiinzen friihestens 1362 AD im Namen osmanischer Sultane ausgegeben worden waren. Bisher wurde allerdings fiir méglich gehalten, dass ein Teil der vielfaltigen rein ornamentalen Kupfermiinzen Anatoliens des spaten Mittelalters, die nur schwer datierbar sind, als alteste osmanische Kleinmiinzen anzusprechen sind. Der Referent berichtete iiber die Ergebnisse seiner Bearbeitung der islamischen Fundmiinzen aus der Wohnstadtgrabung vom Burgberg in Pergamon. Bei diesen seit 1972 vom Deutschen Archdologischen Institut durchgefihrten Grabungen wurden neben ca. 2000 antiken und byzantinischen Miinzen 115 mittelalterliche islamische Sticke gefunden. Sie zeigen iibereinstimmend mit dem keramischen Fundmaterial, dass die Besiedlung im Grabungsbereich schon in der ersten Halfte des 15. Jahrhunderts langsam zuende ging und sich in die Talstadt verlagerte. Da Pergamon schon nach wenigen Jahren tiirkischer Herrschaft seit etwa 1335 AD zum Osmanenreich gehérte, und das numismatische Fundmaterial mit wenigen Ausnahmen aus Kupferstiicken besteht, konnten hier nun neue Erkenntnisse fiir die Entwicklung des frihosmanischen Geldwesens erwartet werden. Zunachst zeigte sich, dass die rein ornamentalen Kupferstiicke in Pergamon keine Rolle spielen, woraus zu schliessen ist, dass sie mehrheitlich entweder erst nach der Mitte des 15. Jahrhunderts entstanden sind oder dass sie zumindest vor 1450 AD im Nordwesten Anatoliens, und damit im jungen Osmanenstaat, nicht beheimatet waren. Dagegen tritt in Pergamon eine andere Gruppe anonymer Kupfermiinzen mit Titel und Segensformel der mongolischen Khane auf, die bereits vor zehn Jahren einmal von Bill Holberton (Jem Sultan) ohne detaillierte Begriindung als osmanisch angesprochen worden waren, danach aber von anderen Numismatikern anderen Dynastien zugeschrieben wurden. Diese Miinzen weisen typologische Merkmale auf, die auf den altesten Kupferpragung im Namen osmanischer Sultane wiederkehren. Sie sind in die Zeit nach 1340 AD zu datieren und jedenfalls um die Mitte des 14. Jahrhunderts. Ein Vergleich mit den publizierten Fundmiinzen aus dem weiter siidlich gelegenen und um die Mitte des 14. Jahrhunderts noch nicht osmanischen Sardis zeigte, dass diese anonymen Kupferstiicke dort fehlen und bestatigt deren Zuweisung zum Osmanenstaat. Die Hinzuziehung von weiteren verwandten anonymen Pragungen lasst nunmehr einen gleichzeitigen Beginn von Silber- und Kupfermiinzen mdoglich erscheinen.

Some rare Afzut issues of the Abbasid governors of Tabaristan by Hodge Mehdi Malek

Between AD 780 and AD 794 the Abbasid governors of Tabaristan issued mainly anonymous hemi-drachms of the ArabSasanian type with the word AFZUT to the right of the obverse bust in the place of the governor or sub-governor’s name.

The legend of the coinage is in Pahlevi, save in the exceptional cases where the name of the Abbasid governor or subgovernor is written in Kufic in the third or fourth quarter obverse rim. On the obverse to the left of the bust is the word GDH -t and to the right AFZUT wwe, broadly translated as “(may his) splendor grow”. Following the coinage of the great Sasanian King Khusru II (AD 590-628), in the second quarter of the obverse rim is the word AFD قر‎ & (excellent). In the third quarter is the word NVK ( ١109١ good), but in some issues this is replaced by the name of the governor or subgovernor. On the reverse there is a fire altar flanked by two attendants. On the right of the altar is the word TPURSTAN

weawewte (Tabaristan). To the left of the altar is the date, calculated from 11 June 652, being the commencement of the solar year following the death of the last Sasanian King, Yazdgard III (AD 632-651). This dating system is known as the Post-Yazdgard Era (PYE).

In this article are described various AFZUT issues not fully illustrated in John Walker’s Catalogue of the Arab-Sasanian Coins in the British Museum (1941, reprinted 1967).

1. Year PYE 129 (AH 164, AD 780)

1.1 Obverse: Usual type with breast ornament “6” Reverse: Date waar! = NOH VIST-SAT. Star left and crescent right of flames. AR 2g, 23.5mm. Figure 1.

1.2 As 1.1 above save that pellet above mint on reverse. TM aulye = TPURSTAN AR 1.72g, 23mm. Figure 2,

Coins of this date are mentioned in Walker’s catalogue, page 153, Zub.6, but are not illustrated. 1.2 appears to correspond with no.1684 of Unvala’s catalogue,! being an example from the Paul Zubov collection (now in the Historical Museum, Moscow). 2. Maad, Year PYE 138 (AH 173, AD 789)

Obverse: Usual type save that name of sub-governor written in Kufic in fourth quarter of rim, =o = Maad. Breast ornament Reverse: Date بسيص ساسم‎ = HASHT SI-SAT. Star left and crescent right of flames. AR 1.93g, 22.5mm. Figure 3.

An example of this most rare type from the Convent of the Flagellation, Jerusalem (Studium Biblicum Franciscanum) is partly illustrated in Walker’s catalogue, page 158, Flag.2.3 Less scarce is the issue of this date with the name of Maad written to the right of the obverse bust instead of in the fourth quarter of the obverse rim.* Historical sources make no reference to a governor of Tabaristan with the name Maad in this period, and most probably Maad was a sub-governor of Tabaristan.5

3. Year PYE 140 (AH 175, AD 791)

3.1 Obverse: Usual type with breast ornament 6”

Reverse: Date tayhsae = CHAHAL-SAT. Pellet left and star right of flames. AR 1.8g, 22mm. Figure 4.

3.2 As3.1 above save that star left and right of flames on reverse. 3.3 As 3.1 above save that star left and crescent right of flames and date written ewe AR 2.02g, 23mm. Figure 5.

Coins of this date are mentioned in Walker’s catalogue, page 158, U.18, but are not illustrated. 3.2 appears to correspond

with no.1940 on Unvala’s catalogue (Paul Zubov collection).®

4. Year PYE 142 (AH 177, AD 793)

Obverse: Usual type with breast ornament O Reverse: Date مون هساريبب‎ = DOCHAHAL-SAT [Tlyn chy] st]. Star left and right of flames. AR 1,888, 22.5mm. Figure 6.

Although coins dated PYE 142 are not scarce and indeed Walker illustrates three examples in his catalogue,’ no coins have

been illustrated of the type listed above. The present type is unusual in that in all previous issues illustrated the date is written ewdwew ora minor variation thereof. Notes

Unvala, J.M. Coins of Tabaristan and some Sassanian Coins from Tabaristan (Paris, 1938). This most detailed work lists a large number of issues, but unfortunately without photographs. Although these issues are generally described as hemidrachms, 001111120121165 would probably have considered them to be drachms, but of half-weight.
Mordtmann A.D. in ZDMG XIX (1865) page 475, No.187 refers to a further example dated PYE 129 in the Cayol collection. An example is also referred to in Nesselman, G.H.F., Die orientalischen Mitnzen des akademischen Minzcabinets in Konigsberg (Leipzig, 1854) page 79, No.6. Markoff, A. de Catalogue des Monnaies arsacides, etc. (St. Petersburg, 1889) page

127, No.42 (erroneously listed as PYE 123) may also be of this date. Guillou, A. Les Monnayages Pehlevi-Arabes (Paris, 1953. records an example from the Bibliothéque Nationale, Cabinet des Médailles, Paris, page 52, No.149 (2.06g, 23mm). Al-Naqshabandi, N. M. The Islamic Dirhem Volume I (Baghdad, 1969) illustrates an example from the Baghdad Museum, page 210, No.145, plate 8 (1.944g, 23mm). There is an unpublished example in the collection of the American Numismatic Society, New York (No.1971.316.165). 3. Walker’s Flag.2 is also published by Lemaire, P. in Num. Chron. (1938) page 296, figure 1. 4. An example from the British Museum collection dated PYE 138 with Maad written to the right of the obverse bust is published in Walker’s catalogue, page 146, No.290. There are two further examples in the Malek collection. The two examples in the collection of the American Numismatic Society, New York (Nos.1971.316.87 and 1975.267.2) are unpublished.

Rabino di Borgomale, H. L. Les Prefets du Califat au Tabaristan Journal Asiatique CCXXXI (1939) at page 257 surmises that Maad may have been Maad ibn Muslim al-Razi, who according to Al-Tabari was governor of Khurasan between AH 160 and 163 (AD 776-779): see al-Tabari The Early Abbasi Empire Volume 2 translated by Williams, J.A. (1989), pages 80, 81

and 97. 6. Unvala records four examples dated PYE 140 from the Paul Zubov collection, Nos.1937-1940, and one from the Muracciole collection, Tehran, No.1941. Mordtmann, A.D. in ZDMG XIX (1865) page 493, No.120, lists an example from the Prokesch von Osten collection. Dorn, B. in Mélanges Asiatiques, Volume ii (1856) page 260, No.9 refers to an example in the Museum of the St. Petersburg Academy,

At page 159 of Walker’s catalogue (RB.11, U.19 and ANS 32). Unvala records twenty-seven examples dated PYE 142, Nos.

1963 to 1989, all with the usual date legend. 8. All the coins illustrated are from the Malek collection, Shahmirzad, Iran.

A Mansuri dirham of the Khwarazm Shah, Muhammad, from Tirmidh by Naoto Hattori

Tirmidh, now within Soviet Uzbekistan, was traditionally a very important city on the Oxus river and served asa base on the route between Central Asia, Afghanistan and India. Despite the city’s long historical role, not only are but a small number of coins of Tirmidh known today from dynasties like the “Abbasids, the Samanids, the Chagataids and the Timurids,! but little

information is known, especially in the West, about coins of Tirmidh struck by the Khwarazm Shahs. Here, I present a rare

dirham of ‘Ala-ud-din Muhammad, Khwarazm Shah (AH 596-617) in my collection.

Mansuri (Victorious) Dirham, Tirmidh, AH 616 (AD 1219-1220)

35mm; 3.85gm; partly chipped; copper, very thin.

ga!

Mansuri SU منهو‎ al-Sultan al-‘Adil v we uhammad bin al-‘Azam ‘Ala السلطا العادل‎ al-Sultan Bur al-Dunya wa al-D: “اطلعلا‎ han Amir in Ne مظعأل‎ ١ 3 minin Marginal inscription:

at فق‎ Sw day) مه ةتمدطام‎ SOI!! دل دهيرص‎

allow 9 سزه سث عت‎

SoD هب هدر ادررمم‎ Note that the marginal legends of both sides are the same. In the last century, two coins of this type were already known in Europe, though these were misattributed by S.L. Poole and - Soret.2 Only by consulting Davidovitch’s work published in 1979 is it possible to determine the mint as Tirmidh, as the marginal legends were composed of peculiar, small letters and faintly struck. There was only one specimen of Tirmidh, AH 616, among 81 specimens? found at Regar (between Denau and Dushambe) in 1958. Its diameter was 50mm and weight 4.25gm. But the letters of the word “‘Mansuri’”’ are not at all clear on it.

*Ala-ud-din Muhammad’s dirhams of Transoxiana had very typical words at the top of the reverse field: for example;

– Qaridi (610, X; 615, X), Sanjari (X, Bukhara; 615, 616, Chaghaniyan), Sikandari (610, 616, Samarqand), Zafiri (613, X), Sultani (X, X), Mubaraki (607, Samarqand).*

The name of the dirham of Tirmidh of year 6175 is not clear to me. According to Davidovitch, the dirhams of 616 and 617 are of different types. The expression ‘‘Burhan Amir al-Muminin” (Proof of the Leader of the Faithful) in the reverse field is worthy of comment. At this time the Caliph was al-Nasir li-din Allah (AH 575-622). On the present coin, however, the Caliph does not appear to be acknowledged. W. Barthold described in detail the frequent enmity between the ‘Abbasids and the Khwarazm Shahs from Takash to Muhammad, basing his account on Juvayni.® According to Barthold, in AH 614 Sultan Muhammad declared Nasir deposed, omitted the mention of his name in the Khutba and on the coinage and proclaimed as Caliph the Sayyid ‘Ala al-Mulk Tirmidhi.? In my view, however, it is better to translate this passage in Juvayni thus: “the Sultan summoned the great Sayyid ‘Ala al-Mulk from Tirmidh so that he might proclaim him Caliph.’‘8 In this connection, this coin shows anti- Abbasid sentiments at least in Tirmidh; in nearby Chaghaniyan? dirhams were struck in the names of Sultan Muhammad and Caliph Nasir during AH 615-616.

References - A. Luther, “Notes on ‘Ala’al-Din Muhammad’s coinage of Transoxiana’’, ANSMN, 1962, pp.121-136. - Album, Price list no. 51, July, 83 (487). - Mitchiner, The World of Islam, London, 1977. - A. Davidovitch, Kladi Drevnikh i Srednevekovikh monet Tadzikistana, Moskva, 1979, pp.219-227. - Barthold, Turkestan down to the Mongol Invasion, 3rd ed., Rep. Karachi, 1982. Ata Malik Juvayni, Ta’rikh-e Jahan Gusha, ed. by M. M. Qazvini, part 2, London, 1916. Notes

1. Codrington, A Manual of Musulman Numismatics, London, 1914, p.146;M. Mitchiner, The World of Islam, p.24. 2. This judgment was drawn from Luther’s comment (p.133, no.30). Soret’s specimen can now also be determined as Tirmidh 616. 3. This number includes the specimens from the similar hoard of Ittifak (year unknown). 4. These lists were compounded from Luther, Mitchiner, Album and Davidovitch’s works. the “‘X”’ sign shows unattributable

mints and years. 5. Her article ‘‘Termezskiy klad mednikh poserebrennikh dirkhemov 617/1220g” (The Termez hoard of the copper silvercoated dirhams of AH 617) in Epigrafika Vostoka, 1953 is unobtainable in Japan. 6. Barthold, pp.347-349, 375. 7. Barthold, p.375. 8. Juvayni, ii, p.97. Cf. Tahriri-ye Nau az Tarikh-e Jahan goshav, (modern Persian translation) by Mansur Tharvat, Tehran,

1362 (AD 1983), p.201. 9. Chaghaniyan was a small province but with many villages along the Surkhan Darya river in Tajikistan and its capital was named Chaghaniyan. The precise site had not been determined around 1973. Although I have not been able to ascertain the most recent opinion, it is certain that Chaghaniyan was situated somewhere near Denau. Srednevekoviy gorad srevney AZii, Leningrad, 1973, p.180.

A Silver Timasha of Pradip Shah of Garhwal by N. G. Rhodes

When, in 1981, I wrote an article on the silver coinages of Garhwal and Ladakh,! I thought that, prior to the Gorkha occupation of 1803, although copper coins of Garhwal were struck in the name of the Raja, the silver timashas only had the name of the Mughal Emperor, albeit often in stylised, illiterate, form. Recently, however, I discovered a timasha with the name of Pradip Shah (1716-72), illustrated and described below:

Obv. ‘Sri Pradip Shah Jyo’ Rev. Garbled Arabic inscription. Diam, 17 mm. Wt. 2.46.ع‎

The reverse of this coin is very similar to that of no. 2, illustrated above, which has a typically stylised and illegible inscription on both sides, originally derived from a nisar of the Mughal Emperor, Farrukh Siyar.

The obverse type is identical to that of the copper coins of Pradip Shah, although they clearly have the mint name, Srinagar,

and the regnal year 29, illustrated as no. 3 above.? The numeral ‘29’ is also found on another, relatively common, silver timasha with a distinctive stylised and illiterate Arabic inscription, illustrated as no. 4 above. The floral ornament below the reverse of this timasha is similar to that on the copper coin of Pradip Shah, so it is reasonable to assume that the ‘29’ refers to the regnal year of this ruler.

Unfortunately, neither the timasha with the name of Pradip Shah, nor the anonymous timasha with similar reverse type are dated, but the style and arrangement of the obverse is so similar to that of the copper coin that both coins were probably struck about the same time, or about AD 1745. If this assumption is correct, all coins illustrated above were struck about this period. The obvious questions that arise are, why were coins struck in Garhwal in AD 1745, and why did only a few of the

silver coins have: the name of the Raja, while the copper coins all had his name?

Between 1744 and 1748 the neighbouring state, Kumaon, was invaded on two occasions by the Rohillas, Afghan adventurers who owed nominal allegiance to the Mughal Emperor. Pradip Shah sent his forces to assist those of the Raja of Kumaon, but they were defeated and the Rohillas demanded Rs.300,000 as the price of peace. Pradip Shah loaned this sum

to the Raja of Kumaon, so that it could be paid.? This shows that Garhwal was wealthy enough at this period to strike coins, but it would be unwarranted to assume that the payment was made in local coins. In later years it can be shown that Garhwal struck silver coins at times when large quantities of wool were exported from western Tibet through Garhwal, and that the silver timashas were used to pay for the wool. It may be that the same thing happened about 1745, and quantities of wool were diverted from the normal trade routes through Nepal or Ladakh, and passed through Garhwal.

It is likely that the timashas with the name of Pradip Shah were struck first, but it was soon realised that the Mughal

Emperor, and more particularly his vassals the Rohillas, might take offense at the Raja of Garhwal striking a silver coin with his own name. The traditional formula was quickly reverted to, particularly when the invasion of Kumaon demonstrated that

the Rohillas were not a force to be taken lightly. Notes

Num. Chron. 1981, pp.120-35. 2. A copper coin of Yr.30 is also in my collection and Yr.27 is listed in The Standard Catalog of South Asian Coins (by C. Bruce et al.), but I have not been able to confirm this date. 3. A. S. Rawat, ‘History of Garhwal, 1358-1947’, (New Delhi, 1989), p.65.

The Chinese-Siamese porcelain pee-coins

I.B. The pee-coins of Yuan-Chi, or - The Sign of the Spring (fountain), or Original Trademark - Fig.8&9 Obv: Yiian - Héng Li- Chén

Creation, Success, Profit, and Perfection -, which are the seasonal effects of Heaven, the four chapters of the Book of Changes. Fig. 8 Rev: Yiian-Chi Tsao - Pi - Ch’ien Wu - Ts’ien
Yiian-Chi made of (this) salung pee 5,000 pieces Fig. 9 Rev: Yiian-Chi Tsao - 2 1/2 Fén Erh - Ts’ien
Yiian-Chi made of (this) 2 1/2 hun (song-pei) 2,000 pcs Fig. 10 Obv: Huang - Pé, - the Yellow Cypress tree Rev: Like fig. 8.

1.0. The pee-coins of Yu-Hoh, or - The Jade Society -

Fig. 11 & 12 Obv: Tsang - Hsing - Hoarded Increase Fig. 11 Rev: Ku-Bian Yii-Hoh - Ch’ien Lu - Ts’ien Fig. 12 Rev: Ku-Bian Yii-Hoh - Fang Ssu - Ts’ien

“‘Ku-Bian” means the ‘ancient border(-line)”’; it was probably the name of the district, or the address of this particular firm. The translation goes:

The Jade Society from Ku-Bian, made of this salung pee 6,000 pcs; - do fuang pee 4,000 pcs.

1.D. The pee-coins of Hsing-Hoh/ Yuan-Chi - The Society of Increase/ Original Trademark Fig. 13 ع‎ 14 Obv: Hsing-Hoh Yiian-Chi Shén - Hsii Pi - Fang, and:

Hsing-Hoh Yiian-Chi Shén - Hsii Sung - P’ai - Society of Increase, Original Trademark, in the year of the dog, fuang pee, - song-pei respectively Fig. 15 Rev: Hsing-Hoh Yiian-Chi Sung-P’ai - Hsing-Hoh… Song-pei -

As has been described in a previous article, for the name of the token itself:- ‘‘pee”’ (Pi) - different characters were used. Finding the same characters, together with the same style of the inscription on the tokens of I.A and I.B, and the two names together on the tokens of the figures 13, 14 & 15, I thought these tokens might represent the same firm: I.A: bearing the name of the society, and I.B the trademark or the shop-sign of the firm.

Another explanation might be that they were two different firms, that were united in the year of the Dog (1874), or were issuing the tokens together. I prefer the first assumption.

The pee token of fig. 14 is Ramsden’s nr. 237. The standing figure Ramsden thought he saw is in reality an incuse lion, or dog of Buddha, symbol of wisdom, walking to the right. I had the opportunity to examine this token in the British Museum Collection (dec. 1986). The fuang pee, I found in the collection of a Dutch collector. II. The pee-coins with individual numbering

Generally, it can be said that this type bears on the reverse a blue incuse character for the value, and an individual number, in commercial Chinese, painted with single strokes of the brush.

Some of the numbers are placed in an incuse cartouche in the field of the reverse of the token (e.g. fig. 16 & 17).

B\

Es

16/47. 16. 17.

Fig. 16 & 17 Obv: Ping - Hsii - Nien, or - Year of the Dog (1826) Fig. 16 Rev: a cartouche, blue incuse, with the character Fang, and a blue incuse character Pai (hundred); thus the

num ber in commercial Chinese is 539; Fig. 17 Rev: The incuse character below is: Ts’ien (thousand), thus the number is 1792.

Ramsden thought he saw an illegible character for the name of the firm on this token, as did Carl Kainz (Ostasiatische Porzellanmiinzen, Berliner Miinzblatter, 1895). I have several specimens of this coin myself, and have seen many others, that all

bear numbers in commercial Chinese. It is true that they are sometimes hard to recognize. The units in hundred(s) and thousand(s) definitely indicate numbers and not names,

Fig. 18 & 19 Obv: Hoh - Hsing, or - Joined Increase (of profit) Fig. 18 Rev: Ch’ien 2124, salung nr. 2124; Fig. 19 Rev: Fang 399, fuang nr. 399.

Fig. 20 Obv: Ch’éng - Li Kung - Ssu, or - the City Profit Company Rev: Ch’ien 2835, salung nr. 2835. Some interesting pieces of ‘‘Chih - Fa’’:

Fig. 21/ 24 Obv: Chih - Fa, or - Growing Wisdom Fig. 21 Rev: Ch’ 509 - stimulus, to urge on, nr. 509 Fig. 22 Rev: Jo 99 -in accordance with, approved, nr. 99 Fig. 23 Rev: Chi 967 - lucky, happy, nr. 967 Fig. 24 Rev: Erh 415 - 2, asecond time, nr. 415 -

The following is a type, with high numbers, that is often to be found:

» OOO® 25/ 28 25. 26. 28.

Fig. 25/ 28 Obv: T’ien - Fa, or - Growing Increase (of profit) Fig. 25 Rev: unit in Tsien (thousand), nr.: 1206 Fig. 26 Rev: do nr.: 2716 Fig. 27 Rev: do nr.: 3592 Fig. 28 Rev: do nr.: 4691. From these numbers one can conclude that at least 5,000 pieces of this type were made.

mt

29.

Fig. 29 Obv: Shun - Chi, or - Prosperous Trademark Rev: Fang 339 (Pai, -hundred-), - fuang, nr. 339 -

Fig. 30 Obv: Wan - Shéng Kung - Ssu, - the Company of Great (10,000) Abundancy Rev: Ch’ien 2214 (Ts’ien), - salung nr. 2214 -. Conclusion

Neither the records of the kilns, nor the Hong concessions may ever be found, but the pees, bearing the numbers as described above, give us some information about the quantities in which the tokens were issued by the firms. They will not say, however, which pieces are scarce, or even rare. That depends upon how many of the tokens were destroyed, or lost. For example, tokens from aseries of 3,000 pieces are often easier to get than those from a series of 10,000 pieces!

However, the numbers give us enough information to prove that Mr. Hofrichter was not right with his assumption that no series above 1.000 was likely to exist. With this study, I have proved that even series up to 10,000 pieces existed.

Collectors, who have information about the existence of additional values to the series mentioned above are kindly requested to write to me.

Bibliography: Ostasiatische Porzellanmiinzen, Carl Kainz, 1895.

Siamese porcelain and other tokens, H. A. Ramsden, 1911. Siamesische Token, H. P. Hofrichter, 1977. Ramsden and the 1/16 song-pei, G. Hollink, 1987.

Pee tokens: ex collection Hollink, nrs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28,29, 30 Staatliche Miinzsammlung, Minchen, nr. 3. British Museum Collection, nrs. 7,11, 14. Terry, Texas, nr. 15. Juray, Rotterdam, nr. 13. Hofrichter, nr. 9.

Fred Shore has recently purchased a coin that is puzzling him. He writes:… this is a coin which at first glance appears to be a Parthian drachm. Its type, however, is not in Sellwood’s Coinage of Parthia, and 1 can find it in no other source.

Obv: isi Al is very crude. The tiara is similar to that of Orodes I. A monogram is present to the right of the bust as follows: AP? Rev: The seated archer is similar to that of an OrodesI drachm, but of cruder style. There is a one line legend above the the archer, one line below, and three lines to the left. There is at least one line of legend to the right of the archer which

says ME A OV. The rest of the legend is garbled. My first guess is that it is a Sacaraucae coin, or possibly an issue of one of the Parthian client kingdoms, but the monogram appears to make the coin Arsacid….).

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