'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Mu'tasim, AH 218-227 / AD 833-842. Dinar (Gold, 20 mm, 4.07 g, 12 h), citing the caliph al-Muʿtaṣim bi-llāh, Marw, AH 225 = AD 839/40. Central field, in three lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh waḥdahu / lā sharīka lahu (‘There is no god but God alone, He has no associate’ in Arabic). Inner margin: bism Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-Marw sanat khams wa-ʿishrīn wa-miʾatayn (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in Marw in the year two hundred and twenty-five’ in Arabic). Outer margin: li-llāh al-amr min qablu 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 five lines: li-llāh / Muḥammad / rasūl / Allāh / al-Muʿtaṣim bi-llāh (‘For God / Muhammad is the Messenger of God / al-Muʿtaṣim bi-llāh’ 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 (‘Muhammad 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 225. Bernardi 151Ph. Very rare. Clipped. Bent and with some scuffs, otherwise, nearly very fine.



While dinars of al-Muʿtaṣim are common for several western and central mints, issues of AH 225 from Marw represent the earliest Abbasid gold coinage of this eastern mint and are very rare.