1978-1979 Band XXVIII-XXIX - Bayerische Numismatische ...

PAUL BALOG
(Rom)
Unusual Honorific Title on a Mamlük Coin
(Abb. 3 auf Taf. 21)
In an excellent article on the coinage of the Mamlük Sultän Baybars I 1,
Michael Bates reorganized the chapter on this Sultän very convincingly, as
he found my presentation of the various issues in disorder regarding the
two main mints, Cairo and Damascus 2. In this he was, I believe, quite
right. He also mentioned at the beginning of his article, that any corpus
becomes obsolete as soon as it sees the light of day. I also was aware of
this, therefore clearly stated it in the introduction to MSES on page 2:
„No corpus, of course, can claim to be complete in such a rich field; after
more than ten years of continuous research we still occasionally find coins
previously unknown to us." My statement proved to be inadequate because
since then quite a large number of new Mamlük issues was published and
continues to come to light. I can add a new item now which is interesting
not only because of the rarity of the gold coins of the Circassian Sultän
al-Mu'ayyad Shaikh, but mainly for the appearance of a new, hitherto
unknown laqab or honorific title in the protocol.
Description of the coin (in private property):
Av.
4 Lud _Wo) :fr (2')
(1A al thed,.. «).9,914g11 f71—.1 I
Border missing on both sides.
(e) U.,,Y aziL 21
(ü9.1./..2413 c;e- ...1-41 (9)
41> dl
Rv.
ccI 4;194>.
(am)
"I L(a)
.9cru ‘)6g 1;23;81224 1 I 4411 :CO
ej.9-)44( a ,' (ei 9)
AU. 32 mm. 21,80 grm.
The writing is in carefully engraved, attractive „monumental" Naskhi
with several diacritical points on the obverse but no arabesque ornaments;
there are only three diacritical points on the reverse, one over the nün of
al-nasr on the top line and the others over the nün of al-dln on the third
1 Michael L. Bates, The Coinage of the Mamlük Sultan Baybars I: Additions and Corrections.
ANS. MN 22, 1977, pp. 161-181, plate.
Paul Balog, The Coinage of the Mamlük Sultans of Egypt and Syria. ANS. NSt. 12,
1964 (abbreviated: MSES).
10