ISLAMIC, Persia (Pre-Seljuq). Saffarids. Ya'qub ibn al-Layth, AH 247-265 / AD 861-879. Dirham (Silver, 20 mm, 3.36 g, 2 h), al-Banjhir, AH 260 = 873/4. ‘lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahū / lā sharīka lahū / Yaʿqūb’ (‘There is no deity but Allah, the One, there is no partner to Him. Yaʿqub’ in Arabic); in the inner margin, ‘bism Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dirham bi al-Banjhīr sana sittīn wa miʾatayn’ (‘In the name of Allah. This dirham was struck in al-Ba[n]jhir in the year 260’ in Arabic); in the outer margin, traces of ‘li-llāh al-amr min qabl wa min baʿd wa yawmaʾidhin yafraḥu al-muʾminūn bi naṣr Allāh’ (‘To Allah belongs the command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice with the help of Allah’ in Arabic; Qurʾān 30: 4-5). Rev. Citing the ʿAbbasid caliph al-Muʿtamid ʿala Allah (AH 256-279 / AD 870-892), ‘li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / al-Muʿtamid ʿalā Allāh’ (‘To Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. al-Muʿtamid ʿala Allah’ in Arabic); in the margin, ‘Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahū bi al-hudā wa dīn al-ḥaqq liyuẓhirahū ʿalā al-dīn kullih wa law kariha al-mushrikūn’ (‘Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it overcome all religions, even though the unbelievers may dislike it’ in Arabic). Album 1401.1. Rare. Areas of weakness and with traces of mounting, otherwise, very fine.