Dirham 'Family type' - anepigraphic Bulghar mint

The "family type" dirhams issued at Bulghar in this period reflect the administrative turbulence of the Golden Horde following the death of Möngke Temür in 1282. A succession of short-reigning khans — Töde Möngke, Töle Buqa, and eventually Toqta — meant that mint masters at Bulghar often continued striking familiar anonymous types rather than retooling dies for rulers whose tenure might prove brief. The anepigraphic design was not carelessness; it was a practical hedge against political instability.

Bulghar remained the northernmost major mint of the Horde and a critical node in the Volga fur trade. The lightness of this specimen — relative to earlier Bulghar dirhams averaging closer to 1.5g — is consistent with a documented weight reduction trend across Horde silver coinage in the late 13th century.