As a seasoned coin collector living in the west, one would have no shortage of resources or experienced numismatists specializing in fields such as U.S. and Roman coins. Seeing U.S. numismatic treasures such as a Flowing Hair Dollar, Morgan Dollar or Seated Liberty Coins, one easily can get a first hand view of a story about a relatively young republic. Collecting Roman Coins, a collector gets to hold a story that speaks to the many emperors, military campaigns, civil wars and transition from Paganism to Christianity. As many collectors appreciate the history behind the coin as opposed to just “owning the metal”, it only makes sense why collecting Islamic coins will be an exciting part of your numismatic experience.
Like Roman coins, a silver dirham tells a story and circulates in a completely different and more dynamic world: the Middle and Dark Ages in Europe, the Tang Dynasty in China and a new golden age taking place outside the western world. Islamic coins tell a collector a story of a much different civilization that interacted, and in many ways, inherited much of the Roman World, and continues a historical narrative where Byzantine and Sasanian coins leave us at. The period of which several of these Islamic empires lasted rivaled the length of the Roman world, roughly from the Roman Republic to the Byzantine Empire. But what serves as an exciting opportunity to a collector is the multitude of empires that one can collect from: Umayyad & Abbasid Caliphates, the Ottoman & Mughal Empires, or the Almoravids in Spain, which left their mark on Spanish numismatics in their own way. This also presents a subchallenge within the challenge of specializing in a certain empire: chasing the different mints. With Roman and U.S. Coins, you’ll likely see places such as Rome, Alexandria, Denver, Philadelphia over and over again. In Islamic numismatics, be prepared for a variety of places that reflect trade routes, political power and regional identity, such as: Baghdad, Damascus, Samarkand, Cairo, Constantinople, Rabat and many more.
What makes this field a great choice for first time collectors is the surprisingly affordability many of these coins offer when compared to their Roman or U.S. counterparts. When going to coin shows and seeing a Roman Denarius of a well known emperor could easily run a collector several thousands of dollars. When scouring the market and comparing prices, one may be shocked to see how even silver dirhams cost less than many Roman bronzes. Important rulers such as Suleyman the Magnificent or al-Mansur can still be relatively affordable when looking at rulers such as Augustus or Mark Anthony or a 1909 S V.D.B. Wheat Cent Penny. What also makes the field an exciting numismatic topic is the relatively few specialists in the United States and western Europe. As a collector who goes to coin shows, it is guaranteed to find at least a dozen experts in Morgan Dollars or a few experts in Roman coins. Only rarely would one be able to find someone at these shows who can identify an Abbasid Dirham or an Ottoman Kurush at a glance. This allows not only an opportunity for a collector to make a name for themselves and build a specialty, but to also broaden their perspective of world history at the same time, providing a different perspective that is seldom taught in western schools.
That’s not to say it doesn’t come with some unique differences a western collector is not used to. Collectors of Roman, European and U.S. coins are often used to portraits of emperors, monarchs and of Native Americans on the obverse. Many aspiring numismatists from the west are often put off by the lack of imagery and icons on Islamic coins, however, this can prove to be a fun challenge and puzzle. Instead of portraits, a collector will receive elegant Arabic calligraphy that is almost uniform in its religious inscriptions, mint names and providing precise dates, something Roman and medieval European coins lack most times. The level of precision Islamic coins offer is what many seasoned collectors of Roman coins seek out in the most valuable coins. The balance of metals in these coins were so precise that they remained highly valued in global trade, with even Viking coin production being influenced by silver dirhams.
Islamic Coins reward curiosity of a collector. Providing an affordable entry way into the hobby for new collectors, an opportunity for lifelong study of history and a new language, it scratches the itch of art, archaeology, history, trade and religion enthusiasts to learn more and build a collection that stands out from their counterparts. Roman coins tell you who ruled the ancient Mediterranean while Islamic coins will tell you how most of the medieval world worked. U.S. coins showcase the development of a modern nation, while Islamic coins blend art, language, economics and provide an opportunity to solve historical puzzles and help piece together a collective historical narrative.
