SASANIAN KINGS. Khosrau II, 591-628. Drachm (Silver, 33 mm, 3.43 g, 7 h), ŠY (Shiraz), probably RY 37 = AD 626. Draped bust of Khosrau II to right, wearing elaborate mural crown; behind head, AFZUT GDH ('may his kingship increase' in Pahlawi); before head, HWSRWD ('Khosrau' in Pahlawi); in outer margin, two countermarks of the mythical creature Senmurv. Rev. Fire altar with ribbons flanked by two attendants; in upper left field, six-pointed star; in upper right field, crescent; to left, partly illegible date; to right, ŠY (name of the mint in Pahlawi). SSCT 3403. Very rare with two countermarks of Senmurv. Minor marks, otherwise, very fine.


This countermark with a senmurv (simurgh) - a mythical bird in Persian mythology with the body of a peacock, the head of a dog, and the claws of a lion - appears on drachms from mints in Khorasan in circa AH 40-60. Sasanian coins with two differing senmurv countermarks are very rare