Amalfi or Salerno. Anonymous gold 4 Tari or Imitative Dinar ND (c. 11th Century) Choice XF, cf. Biaggi-14-15, cf. MIR-2-4 (Amalfi), MIR-527-529 (Salerno), cf. MEC XIV-37-39. 20mm. 4.04gm. Copying a Dinar of the Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz (AH 365-386 / AD 975-996; cf. A-703). A peculiar and very puzzling issue that appears entirely lacking from all of the references we have consulted. While imitative 1/4 dinars (rubai) or taris from the southern Italian duchies are known in abundance, these all weight around 1 gram or slightly less, while the present specimen is over 4 times heavier--in-line with the standard of the Fatimid dinar. Bearing the extremely derivative "pseudo"-Arabic legends indicative an imitative Italian issue, this coin is even more special in that its prototype is an issue of al-Aziz, the only caliph to produce gold with a central pellet and empty band between the inner circle and inner legend, whereas nearly all taris of Amalfi and Salerno copy rubai of al-Mu'izz (al-Aziz's predecessor). A purportedly unique dinar of al-Aziz from Sicily appeared at a Numismatica Genevensis sale in November 2014, hammering for 20,000 CHF (Auction 8, Lot 271), perhaps implying the existence of imitations such as this, though we know of no other examples that have appeared at auction.

HID09801242017

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