Persia (Post-Mongol). Hotakis. Ashraf, AH 1137-1142 / AD 1724-1729. Abbasi (Silver, 29 mm, 4.49 g, 4 h), type D, Isfahan, AH 1141 = 1728/9. Within a dotted circle, the couplet ‘dast-e rad bar jalāle būd gonāh / dād taghyīr-e sekke Ashraf shāh’ (‘The hand of unbelievers upon God’s name was a sin; King Ashraf altered the coin’ in Persian), followed by the date ‘1141’ (in Arabic). Rev. Within a dotted circle, ‘jolus-e meymanat maʾnus dar dār al-salṭana Iṣfahān 1137’ (‘The prosperous accession in Isfahan, 1137’ in Persian). Album 2721. Rare and beautifully toned. Good very fine.



The couplet on the obverse, referring to the alteration of the coin, alludes to the removal of the shahāda (the Islamic declaration of faith containing God’s name) due to concerns that the coins might pass through the hands of unbelievers or non-Muslims.