Mongols. Golden Horde. Toqta, AH 690-713 / AD 1291-1313. Dirham (Silver, 19 mm, 1.44 g, 3 h), Dual tamgha type, Saqchi (Isaccea in Romania), no date. Within a circle, in three lines: khān / al-ʿādil / Tūqtā (‘The just Khan Toqtā’ in Arabic); Tear-drop shape above the letter ʿayn in al-ʿādil. Rev. In three lines: al-minnat-u li-llāh / ḍarb-i / Sāqchī (‘Gratefulness belongs to God. Struck in Sāqchī’ in Arabic); Tamgha in center; second tamgha below. Album H2063. An extremely rare issue with attractive dual tamgha arrangement. Some deposits and areas of weakness, otherwise, about extremely fine.


The coinage of Sāqchī under the Golden Horde is among the most unusual and artistically varied series of medieval Islamic numismatics. In addition to the well-known hawk and lion types, a number of ornamental and symbolic variants were produced employing different arrangements of tamghas and abstract motifs.

The additional symbol below the principal tamgha on the present specimen has been described in some references as a fleur-de-lys motif, though its precise interpretation remains uncertain.

Although the dual-tamgha variety represents one of the more frequently encountered types within the Sāqchī series itself, all issues of this remarkable group remain extremely rare in comparison with most other contemporary Islamic silver coinages.