Drachm - Ardashir III re-engraved

Ardashir III came to power at age seven following the assassination of his father Kavad II, who had himself reigned for only a matter of months in 628. The boy-king was dead within two years, murdered on the orders of the general Shahrbaraz. The re-engraved dies on this issue almost certainly reflect the administrative chaos of that transition — recycling existing Sasanian die stock rather than commissioning fresh work, a practical shortcut during a period when the empire was cycling through rulers faster than mints could respond.