CNG ISLAMIC AUCTION 2 ANNOUNCED

An unpublished early Islamic gold dinar from the ‘Mine of the Commander of the Faithful,' an extremely rare gold double-dinar minted for presentation to a high-ranking official in the year AH 343 (AD 954/5), and an extremely rare Arab-Sasanian silver drachm depicting the Caliph Marwan I (AH 85-86 / AD 685- 705) are among highlights of Classical Numismatic Group's second dedicated auction of Islamic coins, to be held live and online Thursday, October 27, webcast from London, UK.

We are doubly proud of Islamic Auction 2, said Steve Lloyd, Islamic specialist for Classical Numismatic Group LLC. The 330 lots offered here include a number of unique, beautiful, and historically important pieces, and to be able to offer an unpublished Umayyad dinar from the ‘Mine of the Commander of the Faithful' is a real privilege.

The auction will be held on Thursday, October 27, 2022 in the Library of the Bloomsbury Hotel in London, commencing at 13:00 BST. We are excited to be holding CNG's first live room auction in London, Lloyd explained.  We know that many of our clients enjoy the convenience of online bidding, but there is still nothing quite like the experience of a live auction held in a saleroom. After more than two years of lockdowns and travel bans under the pandemic, we are especially looking forward to seeing many of our clients in person again. The sale will be webcast worldwide via CNG's Auction Mobility platform, and bidders can participate in real-time via the website www.cngcoins.com and the firm's smart phone app.

CNG Islamic Sale 2 comprises 330 lots of gold, silver and bronze coinage, with estimates totaling nearly $1.6 million. The Mine of the Commander of the Faithful gold dinar is Lot 82 in the sale, carrying an estimate of $750,000. While a handful of other Mine dinars are known, this is the only specimen of this date, AH 93 (AD 711/2), which has ever crossed the block. Scholars have suggested that the gold used to strike these dinars came from a mine in Arabia which belonged to the Caliph himself.

Other highlights of the sale include:

 

Lot 91, a unique Umayyad silver dirham from the mint of Bamm, dated AH 80 (AD 699/700), estimated $40,000. Bamm is a previously unrecorded mint for Umayyad silver, and this is the first time in almost a decade that a new Umayyad dirham mint has come to light.

 

Lot 294, an extremely rare presentation double dinar, naming all seven Isma‘ili Imams, struck at Jalalabad in the year AH 343 (AD 954/5), estimated $40,000.  This handsome coin bears witness to the spread of Isma'ilism in the eastern part of the Islamic world during the 4th/10th century.

 

Lot 11, an extremely rare Arab-Sasanian drachm, dated AH 75 (AD 694/5), depicting a standing figure of the Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan (AH 65-86 / AD 685-705) in traditional Arab dress, with his hand on the hilt of a sword.  Estimated $30,000, this is the earliest depiction of a caliph on Islamic silver coinage.

 

Lot 128, a unique presentation dirham likely struck by Zubayda bint Ja'far, wife of the Caliph Harun al- Rashid. Dated AH 186 (AD 802), it is estimated $25,000.  Zubayda was known by the title Umm Ja'far, ‘Mother of Ja'far,' and it has been suggested that this coin was struck in one of her palaces.

 

Lot 288, a remarkable silver Samanid cast medallion issued at Bukhara in AH 358 (AD 968/9).  Estimated $25,000, this extraordinary piece bears a portrait copied from an earlier pre-Islamic type, but whose features have been subtly modified, possibly to resemble the Samanid ruler, Mansur b. Nuh.

 

Lot 204, the earliest known gold dinar of the Arab Amirs of Crete, dated AH 270 (AD 883/4). Estimated $15,000, this unique coin is overstruck on a Byzantine solidus of Theophilus (AD 829-842), traces of which can still be seen.

 

Lot 329, the rare and impressive Ottoman Gold Imtiyaz Medal named to Imam Yahya of the Yemen (AD 1918-1948), probably awarded after the Treaty of Daan. (Estimate $15,000)

Pre-bids on all coins in Islamic Auction I may be placed via the company's website, www.cngcoins.com.

Inquiries about Islamic Auction 2 may be sent to Steve Lloyd at stevelloyd@cngcoins.com. To receive a copy of the full-color catalog, contact Classical Numismatic Group LLC at CNG@cngcoins.com, or call (717) 390-9194. Clients in the United Kingdom and Europe may contact CNG's London office at (+44) 20-7495-1888.

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