LOCAL ISSUES, Chach. Wanwan, circa 4th century AD. AE (Bronze, 19 mm, 2.02 g). Diademed bust of Wanwan to left, with a long hair curled at the ends and a wispy beard. Rev. ‘cʾcʾnnʾpc wnwn xwβ’ = ‘Čāčān-nāfč Wanwan xūβ’ (‘Wanwan, king of the nation of Chach’ in Sogdian) around the tamgha of Chach. Lurje 1325. Shagalov & Kuznetsov 1. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, perhaps the finest known example. Light deposits, otherwise, extremely fine.


Wanwan, known solely from his coins, was one of the early rulers of the Xionite (Chionite) dynasty in Chach. His name means ‘Victorious’ in Sogdian, and it might have been used as an epithet or a hereditary name by his successors up until the 5th century.