ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, AH 65-86 / AD 685-705. Fals (Bronze, 25 mm, 2.94 g, 11 h), 'Standing Caliph' type, uncertain mint in Jund Qinnasrin, AH 74-80 / AD 693/4-699/700. Caliph standing facing, bearded, placing his right hand on the pommel of his sword; around, blundered legend.
Rev. Transformed cross standing on three steps; in field to right, meaningless mint name; around, blundered and retrograde part of the first Kalima. DOCAB -. Goodwin, Standing Caliph Coinage -. SICA I -. Unpublished. A very interesting issue of charming style. Good very fine.
From a collection of Arab-Byzantine and Crusader coins, formed in the 1990s.
T. Goodwin noted, in correspondence with this cataloguer, that the coin is a contemporary imitation made somewhere in Jund Qinnasrin. The somewhat strange Caliph image looks like the work of the same die engraver as Goodwin, Standing Caliph Coinage, Cat. 427. We kindly thank T. Goodwin for his valuable contributions to the discussion of this unusual issue.
