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!
Falus - Anonymous Lion right
| Issuer | City of Balkh (Afghan Cities) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1400-1700 |
| 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 | 3.44 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Densely interlaced Arabic inscription filling the entire field in a highly stylized, geometric manner characteristic of late medieval Central Asian copper coinage. The legends, reading 'Balkh' (بلخ) above and 'Falus' (فالس) below, are rendered in an angular, almost Kufic-influenced script whose strokes interlock to form a complex decorative pattern. The field is bounded by a plain inner circle, with the coin's irregular flan and flat relief typical of anonymous hammered issues from the Balkh mint. Traces of green cuprite patina are visible at the periphery, consistent with prolonged burial or circulation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A schematically rendered lion passant facing right occupies the central field, depicted in a bold, flat relief style characteristic of anonymous Timurid and post-Timurid copper issues from Balkh. The animal's body is rendered with minimal anatomical detail, the head shown in profile with a simplified mane, the tail raised. Surrounding the lion is an interlaced arabesque or knotwork border that encircles the central device, filling the field to the coin's irregular edge. The overall design exhibits the crude but vigorous hand-hammered workmanship typical of provincial Central Asian fulus coinage of this period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |