Umayyad Gold Dinar Coin
Extremely Fine: Up to: £3.72 million
The most valuable Umayyad Gold Dinars are those with rare inscriptions or “marker” years that denote significant moments in early Islamic history. While standard dinars from the late 7th and early 8th centuries are accessible to many collectors, specific rarities have set world records reaching into the millions.
Most Valuable Umayyad Gold Dinars
The value of an Umayyad dinar is primarily determined by its date and whether it includes a specific location or title.
- Dinar of the “Mine of the Commander of the Faithful” (AH 105 / 723 AD): This is widely considered the most valuable Islamic coin in the world. It features the rare inscription Ma’din Amir al-Mu’minin bi’l-Hijaz, marking it as the first Islamic coin to name a location in present-day Saudi Arabia.
- Market Value: A specimen sold for £3.72 million ($4.78 million) in 2019 at the Morton & Eden auction.
- Mintage Information: Excessively rare; only about one dozen examples are known to exist globally.
- The First Post-Reform Dinar (AH 77 / 696 AD): Struck during the reign of Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik, this coin represents the historic shift from Byzantine-style imagery to purely epigraphic (text-based) Islamic design.
- Market Value: High-grade specimens are estimated between £100,000 and £150,000. A specimen with a hammer price of £5,200 was recently realised for a lower-grade example.
- Mintage Information: These coins are highly sought after as “prototype” examples of the established Islamic currency standard.
- “Mine of the Commander of the Faithful” (AH 93 / 712 AD): Similar to the AH 105 rarity, this earlier version also features the “Mine” inscription but is from a different caliph’s reign.
- Market Value: Estimated to fetch over £700,000 at auction.
- Mintage Information: Only a few specimens have ever appeared at public auction.