Rare Mule Dinar in the Name of the Abbasid Caliph al-Qahir bi-llah Minted in Sana’a in 314 A.H.

The specimen under study combines an obverse and a reverse from two distinct and distinguishable series of dinars with al-Qahir’s name on the field of the reverse and the date 314 AH that dates back to al-Muqtadir’s period on the marginal inscriptions of the obverse, forming one unique mule.

Due to this unique combination in form, it is considered as one of the mule coins prototypes that were struck as a result of an incorrect combination of a new die with another one that had erroneously remained in use. Thus, it might have been accidentally minted by a confused mint employee. Another possible hypothesis to be put into consideration is that this dinar was minted in two different dies intentionally. These unofficial mules are very common and teach us nothing about the chronology of the official coinage.

As for comparing the dinar under study (PI.2), with the other two dinars of both al-Qahir bi-llah (PI.1) and al-Muqtadir bi-llah (PI.3), in terms of size and weight, they are found to be in the same average measures. Besides, the Kufic script used in the inscriptions of the specimen under study is remarkably sophisticated which distinguished the coins of this era.  

However, regarding the date of mint, by comparing the date of the dinar under study (PI.2), with the dinar of al- Muqtadir bi-llah (PI.3), it is obvious that the date of mint (FIG.1) on the specimen under study is typically the same as the date of the dinar of al-Muqtadir bi-llah (FIG.2), as the last word of the date in hundreds came incomplete as “thuluth”, unlike the way it was struck on al-Qahir’s coins as it came complete as “thultheen”. Therefore, it is conclusive evidence that the mule dinar was undoubtedly struck from two separate and distinct dies.