Silver Hemidrachm of Tabaristan AD 780 – 793This silver Hemidrachm of Tabaristan comes from the Kingdom of Tabaristan. This Kingdom was located along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, which is currently Northern Iran. The 7,000 miles long Silk Road linked Constantinople with the heart of China. This route was used by merchants to transport luxury goods, precious metals, art objects, and ideas between China, the West and Middle East. The Silk Road ran directly through the Kingdom of Tabaristan and many of these Hemidrachm were used in trade all along the road. Tarbaristan at the time was under Muslim occupation, however the coin continued to be modeled after coins from the preceding Sassanian Empire. The obverse shows a right facing bust wearing a winged crown in the style of the Sassanian King Khusru II. The reverse depicts attendants flanking a Sassanian style fire altar, with a border of three concentric circles. The Silk Road Hoard includes coins minted in Tabaristan and may have been struck under the rule of Haroun al-Rashid, AD 786-809. Al-Rashid’s name is mentioned in several stories from the collection of tales commonly referred to as Tales of the Arabian Nights. This example is graded Mint State by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). This silver Hemidrachm from Tabaristan will be a treasured part of your ancient coins collection. Purchase yours today from MCM! Photo Policy: MCM attempts to display product images shown on the site as accurately as possible. We take all of our photos in house and due to reflections on the mirrored or proof surfaces of a coin there may appear to be 'black' when there is not. If a coin has a color on it at all it will be described as 'colorized' in the description or title. Due to the large inventory we sell, we use stock photos. Serial numbers will vary from the image shown unless specifically stated in the product listing that the item pictured is the item you will receive. The value of the coin is not determined by its precious metal content. |
This Tabaristan, Silver Hemidrachm (AD 780-793) - obv. Bust/rv. Fire Altar - Silk Road Hoard NGC MS (Story Vault) is proudly minted by the Tabaristan Mint. Tabaristan was situated in the northernmost part of what is now Iran. The coins it produced facilitated trade on the Silk Road.
Year of Issue: | AD 780-793 |
Mint: | Tabaristan Mint |
Grading Service: | NGC |
Grade: | MS |
Composition: | Silver |
Country: | Kingdom of Tabaristan |
Legal Tender: | Kingdom of Tabaristan |
Currency: | Hemidrachm |
Denomination: | 1 |
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