'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Musta'in, AH 248-252 / AD 862-866. Dinar (Gold, 19 mm, 3.00 g, 5 h), citing the caliph al-Musta'in billah, San'a, AH 249 = AD 863/4. 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). Margin: bi-sm Allāh ḍuriba hādhā al-dīnār bi-Ṣanʿāʾ sanat tisʿ wa-arbaʿīn wa-miʾatayn (‘In the name of God, this dinar was struck in Ṣanʿāʾ in the year two hundred and forty-nine’ 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-Mustaʿīn bi-llāh (‘For God / Muhammad is the Messenger of God / al-Mustaʿīn in God’ in Arabic). Margin: Muḥammad rasūl Allāh arsalahu bi-l-hudā wa-dīn al-ḥaqq li-yuẓhirahu ʿalā al-dīn kullihi (‘Muhammad is the Messenger of God, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religion’ in Arabic). Album 1054. Bernardi 161 (EI). Rare. Tiny marks and some doubling on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.


Although denominated as a dinar, this issue follows the al-mutawwaq weight standard, approximately two-thirds of a mithqāl plus two ḥabbah (theoretical norm ca. 2.96 g). Gold dinars of al-Mustaʿīn from this Yemeni mint are rare.