Mamluk Gold Dinar

The Mamluk gold dinar often featured inscriptions in elegant Kufic script, naming the sultan and invoking Allah, a practice that linked every transaction to the ruler's authority.

These coins were minted in Cairo and other Egyptian cities, using gold from African mines or trade routes. Weights varied, but most hovered around 4 to 5 grams of high-purity gold. Designs evolved over the dynasty's two-and-a-half centuries, from simple legends under early sultans like Baybars to more ornate styles later on. No two are identical, thanks to hand-struck methods.

We don't know exact mintages; records were scarce even then. What survives shows wear from constant use in markets from Aleppo to Venice.

Some collectors swear by the dinar's edge, as if a slight irregularity proves authenticity. It doesn't.