Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Fals - al-Manṣūr ʿAlī II Dimashq mint
| Issuer | Mamluk Sultanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1380-1381 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central field bearing a multi-line Arabic inscription in naskh script, arranged horizontally within a plain circular border. The legend reads 'Al-Sultan al-Malik al-Mansur Ali', presenting the full royal titulature of the Mamluk sultan Ali II. The lettering is boldly struck in raised relief, typical of Mamluk hammered copper coinage, though the flan is irregular and somewhat roughly finished. The field surface shows characteristic granular texture consistent with cast copper preparation. Strike is moderately centered with some weakness toward the periphery. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Al-Manṣūr ʿAlī II ruled for less than a year — deposed in 1381 after a reign measured in months, not years — making any copper fals from his Damascus mint a product of extreme political instability. The Mamluk fals was largely ignored by contemporary chroniclers, who fixated on gold and silver, yet these copper pieces absorbed the daily commerce of the bazaars. Balog's tight grouping of this type under 501–502 reflects genuine die consistency rather than abundance; surviving examples are scarce precisely because copper coinage of short reigns circulated hard and was rarely preserved.