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Dirham 'Ornamental type' - anepigraphic Bulghar mint
| Issuer | Golden Horde |
|---|---|
| Year | 1280-1310 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field displays an unidentified ornamental or heraldic symbol enclosed within a double concave hexagonal frame matching that of the obverse, with the inward-curving sides forming a recessed geometric border. The symbol, whose precise meaning remains unexplained in numismatic literature, appears as an abstract device possibly of tribal or administrative significance. A beaded border is visible along the coin's periphery. The reverse, like the obverse, is entirely anepigraphic. The flan is irregular in shape, consistent with the hand-struck production methods of the Bulghar mint. |
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| Mint | Bulghar (Bulgar) |
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| Additional information |
These anepigraphic ornamental dirhams represent a deliberate departure from the Arabic inscriptions that defined Mongol-period coinage across the steppe. Whether this reflects a local administrative decision at Bulghar, a transitional minting arrangement, or something more calculated about audience and circulation remains debated. Bulghar, as the primary commercial hub on the Volga before Sarai consolidated power, had its own minting traditions predating Mongol control, and that autonomy occasionally surfaces in the numismatic record in exactly this kind of typological anomaly.