Umayyad Caliphate. Uncertain period (post-reform), AH 77-132 / CE 697-750. Fals (Bronze, 21 mm, 3.06 g, 6 h), al-Ramla (Ramla), no date. Palm tree within circle; in margin: lā ilāha illā Allāh waḥdahū (‘There is no deity but God alone’ in Arabic). Rev. Pellet-in-annulet within circle; in margin: ḍuriba hādhā al-fals bi-l-Ra[mla] (‘This fals was struck at al-Ra[mla]’ in Arabic). Album 185. Jeselsohn IV 224 var. (slightly differing mint formula). SNA Tübingen IVa, 69 var. (slightly differing mint formula). Walker 855-877. Very rare and with attractive earthen highlights. Faint scratches, otherwise, good very fine.



The reverse marginal legend is particularly intriguing. The same group of letter-shapes can easily be read both as ḍ-r in ḍuriba and as m-l-h in bi-l-Ramla, so that the beginning and end of the mint formula appear to overlap graphically. Other variants of this type preserve a fuller mint formula, making it uncertain whether the abbreviation here was a deliberate epigraphic choice or simply a practical solution to the limited space. In either case, it gives the coin considerable epigraphic interest.