EARLY MEDIEVAL & ISLAMIC. Arab-Byzantine coinage. Temp. Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. A.H. 65-86 / A.D. 685-705. Bronze Fals (3.32g). Amman mint. Dated A.H. 74-80 / A.D. 693/4-699/700. Caliph standing facing, bearded, placing right hand on sword pommel, with whip over right elbow; legend around: li-'abd Allah Abd al-Malik amir al-mu'minin (For the servant of God, Abd al-Malik, Commander of the Faithful) / Stylized cross or standard on three steps; eight-pointed star in left field, Amman in right field; around, part of the Islamic declaration of faith: la ilaha illa Allah wahdahu MNHammad rasul Allah (There is no god but Allah alone; MNHammad is the messenger of Allah). Goodwin, Standing Caliph 150; SICA I 718. gVF. Seldom seen in this choice condition. Rare. For the type see; Leu Auction A32, lot 3297, hammered US$550. This remarkable type, struck during the key reform era of the Umayyad Caliphate, captures the shift from Byzantine imperial imagery to a distinctly Islamic visual language. Its standing caliph, still echoing late Roman and Byzantine portraiture, serves as a deliberate statement of emerging Islamic authority. Rare and much sought after, this Amman mint issue offers a vivid glimpse into the early caliphate's evolving identity and power. From the Crescent Collection; acquired from Morton & Eden Ltd., London.

Estimate: AUD 500