The Ghurid sultanate's brief experiment with electrum coinage is poorly understood — most issues from the dynasty are gold or billon, and the alloy choice here likely reflects opportunistic minting rather than deliberate monetary policy. Sayf al-Din Muhammad's reign at Herat lasted only until his death in battle against the Oghuz Turks in 1163, making all coinage struck under his name inherently short-series.
Album's attribution T1754.2 places this among the rarer Ghurid types. The Herat mint was among the most active in the eastern Islamic world during the 12th century, but survival rates for electrum from this region are low.
The Ghurid sultanate's brief experiment with electrum coinage is poorly understood — most issues from the dynasty are gold or billon, and the alloy choice here likely reflects opportunistic minting rather than deliberate monetary policy. Sayf al-Din Muhammad's reign at Herat lasted only until his death in battle against the Oghuz Turks in 1163, making all coinage struck under his name inherently short-series.
Album's attribution T1754.2 places this among the rarer Ghurid types. The Herat mint was among the most active in the eastern Islamic world during the 12th century, but survival rates for electrum from this region are low.