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Dirham 'Ornamental type' - anepigraphic Bulghar mint
| Issuer | Golden Horde |
|---|---|
| Year | 1280-1310 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Dirham / Dang / Yarmag (0.7) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 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 a multi-pointed star motif enclosed within a square frame, the corners of which are each accentuated by a decorative knot, producing four symmetrically placed ornamental elements around the square. The overall composition is anepigraphic, bearing no inscriptions or legends. The bold geometric relief of the star and surrounding knotwork is consistent with the ornamental style associated with the Bulghar mint issues of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. The flan is irregular, as is typical of hammered silver coinage of this type. |
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| Mint | Bulghar (Bulgar on the Volga) |
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| Additional information |
The so-called "ornamental" or anepigraphic dirhams of the Golden Horde represent a numismatic puzzle that has occupied specialists for decades. Struck at Bulghar on the Volga — the primary mint of the western steppe for much of the 13th century — these pieces carry no readable legend, distinguishing them sharply from the epigraphic issues that dominate Jochid coinage. Whether the absence of inscription reflects a transitional administrative moment, a deliberate local convention, or simply a degraded die tradition remains unresolved.
The date range spans the reigns of Töde Möngke through Toqta, a period of considerable dynastic instability within the Ulus of Jochi.