Egypt 1468-96 Silver Islamic Coin Half Dirham Mamluk Sultan Qa'itbay Balog 825 F

Description

Welcome to an Auction by Giamer
Rare Silver Coin
Mamluk Half Dirham
873-901 AH / 1468-1496 AD
Al-Ashraf Abu Al-Nasr Qa'itbay
For your Islamic Coin Collection-MAM055
Details
Description:
A small silver coin from the times of Qa'itbay (Al-Ashraf Abu Al-Nasr), who ruled Egypt and Syria during the period 873-901 AH (1468-1496 AD). Qa'itbay is from the Burji Mamluk dynasty. This is a small half dirham weighing about 1.5 grams and measuring 15.5 millimeters. It is in generally fine condition with readable calligraphy on the obverse and the reverse, but having considerable wear and areas of flatness. The obverse shows the name "Qa'itbay" within a diamond standing on edge in the center with part of the words al-Malik and Ezat Nasruh to the left of it. The reverse shows parts of the legend "Bil Hudah; ..Elah Ela Allah;.. Rassul A..". The small flan of the coin does not show a date or a mint. However, the center of the reverse suggest the coin is similar to Balog 825. Please carefully review the scans presented as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date:
Date off flan, struck in the period 873-901 AH (1468-1496 AD).
Mint:
Uncertain since the mint is off flan. Most likely the coin was minted in Cairo Egypt.
Size and weight:
This is a fractional dirham, weighs ~1.5 grams of silver (said to be about 66.67% pure) and is 15.5 mm in dimension, but is off-round in shape.
References:
It is Album #1029 with a rarity index (R) and appears to be listed in Balog as #825.
Condition:
I would grade this coin as a fine or better. The coin itself is much better than the photos show with relatively well defined and legible calligraphy on both the obverse and reverse. The coin is a bit off round with misshapen edge. The coin shows considerable wear and has strike weakness along the edges and definitely shows the name Qa'itibay. A normally more difficult coin to find, which would make a nice addition to your collection. Please see the photos for additional condition information.
Historic Perspective:
The word Mamluks in Arabic means "owned", hence their nickname "Slave Kings". They succeeded the Ayyubids and ruled Egypt and Syria for about 250 years. They had been recruited by the Ayyubids and then, like the Turkish mercenaries of the Abbasid caliphs, had usurped power from their enfeebled masters. Unlike their predecessors, however, they were able to maintain their power, and they retained control of Egypt until the Ottoman conquest in 1517. Militarily formidable, they were also the first power to defeat the Mongols in open combat in 1260, at Ayn Jalut near Nazareth in Palestine.
The Mamluk sultans are usually divided into two dynasties, the Bahris (1250 - 1382 AD), chiefly Turks and Mongols, and the Burjis (1382 - 1517 AD), chiefly Circassians. These names arise from the location of the barracks of the Mamluks within the city of Cairo (Al Kahira). Those originating from the barracks on an island in the Nile are Bahari (sea dwellers) and those who were in the towers of the Cairo Citadel are the Burjis (the tower dwellers). The Bahri sultans were usually selected from a few chief families, but during Burji times there was scant respect for hereditary principle in the selection of rulers. Neither dynasty was able to exercise more than a limited power over the turbulent Mamluk soldiers. The sultans reigned, on average, less than seven years and usually met violent ends. In spite of the dangers that threatened the sultans at home, they usually conducted a vigorous foreign policy. They defeated the last of the Crusaders and repulsed the Mongol invasion of Syria. At times they held all Palestine and Syria and the holy places of Arabia. Even after the Ottomans occupied Egypt they wheeled quite a bit of power until Mohammad Ali massacred the last of them at the Cairo Citadel in the early 1800's.
Our Guarantee
Please view our 100% positive feedback and bid with confidence. We guarantee the authenticity, description and condition of the items we sell. We will refund your purchase price if not completely satisfied.
Shipping and Handling
Buyer pays for careful domestic shipping & handling.
We will not ship to countries where it is illegal to own ancient Islamic coins.
Contact us for world-wide international shipping & handling charges. It is our policy to declare the full item price on customs forms.
The shipping charges quoted do not include possible customs fees, these are the responsibility of the buyer.
Note, packages going overseas can take as long as 3 to 4 weeks to reach their destination, so please be patient and allow sufficient time for your item to reach you.
A NOTE ABOUT SHIPPING CHARGES:
In an effort to avoid misunderstandings we have always provide our customers with information about the expected cost of shipping and handling for each item, in our ads.
Thus these charges should not come as a surprise and as a buyer you implicitly agree to them when you place your bid.
We would also like to remind our wonderful customers that shipping cost is more than just the cost of postage.
In order to safely ship an item we need to obtain packaging materials, tape, and other supplies.
Terms and Conditions:
By placing a bid in this auction, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:
Please e-mail with any questions you have before the end of the auction.
The wining bidder will be contacted within 24 hours of auction close via email.
We will let you know the total you need to pay, based on the final auction price and the S&H charge listed in the ad.
We ask that you contact us back within three days indicating your intent to complete the sale, timing of payment, and giving us a mailing address for shipping the item.
Refunds are given for purchase price upon return of the item. Postage and handling fees are non-refundable.
Your payment is due to us within 10 days from auction close, unless you notify us in advance of your intent to be late.
We will inform you, via e-mail, when we receive your payment and when we ship your item.
We expect feedback to be initiated by the bidder upon completion of the transaction at which time we will be pleased to reciprocate.
Failure to follow these simple terms will be construed as your desire not to complete the sale.
Powered by SixBit's eCommerce Solution