Persia (Pre-Seljuq). Samanids. 'Abd al-Malik I ibn Nuh, AH 343-350 / AD 954-961. Dinar (Gold, 20 mm, 4.00 g, 5 h), citing the ʿAbbāsid caliph al-Muṭīʿ li-llāh, Amul, AH 348 = AD 959/60. Central field, in three lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahū / lā sharīka lahū (‘There is no deity but God alone; He has no associate’ in Arabic). Inner margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-Āmul sanat thamān wa-arbaʿīn wa-thalāth-miʾa (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in Āmul in the year three hundred and forty-eight’ in Arabic). Outer margin: li-llāh al-amr min qabl wa-min baʿd wa-yawmaʾidhin yafraḥ al-muʾminūn bi-naṣr Allāh (‘To God belongs the command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice in the help of God’ in Arabic). Rev. Central field, in six lines: li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl Allāh / al-Muṭīʿ li-llāh / ʿAbd al-Malik ibn / Nūḥ (‘For God / Muḥammad is the Messenger of God / al-Muṭīʿ li-llāh / ʿAbd al-Malik son of Nūḥ’ in Arabic). Margin: Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi wa-law kariha al-mushrikūn (‘Muḥammad is the Messenger of God, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists may dislike it’ in Arabic). Album 1460. Stern, Āmul 33. Minor deposits and areas of weakness, otherwise, good very fine.