World’s Oldest Coin
Date: 600 BCE
Mint: Ancient Lydia
Ruler: King Alyattes (619–560 BCE)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, promised gift from Gary Leiser.
Silver dirham, Abbasid Dynasty
Date: 777–778
Mint: None
Ruler: Sa’id b. Dalaj (776–778), the Abbasid governor of Tabaristan
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, Gift of Gary Leiser, 2018.052.023.
Gold dinar, Abbasid Dynasty
Date: 774–775
Mint: None
Ruler: Caliph al-Mansur (754–775)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, Gift of Gary Leiser, 2017.052.019.The most valuable coins were gold, based upon weight and purity, rather than a set monetary value. The coin shown above was punched to use as jewelry on a necklace or bracelet.
Silver dirham, Seljuk Dynasty of Rum or Anatolia (modern Turkey)
Date: 1244–1245
Mint: Konya (Central Turkey)
Ruler: Sultan Kay Khusraw II (1237–1246)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, Gift of Gary Leiser, 2017.052.184.Used throughout the Muslim world, a silver dirhim was widely accepted as payment for a day of work.
Glass weight, Fatimid Dynasty
Date: None
Mint: None, made in Egypt
Ruler: Caliph al-Hakim (996–1021) or al-Mustansir (1036–1094)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, Gift of Gary Leiser, 2017.052.482.Because coins were made by hand, it was difficult to ensure their true weight, and glass weights were devised to help establish that accurate measure.
Gold dinar, Seljuk Dynasty of Rum or Anatolia (modern Turkey)
Date: 1217–1218
Mint: Konya in central Turkey
Ruler: Sultan Kay Kawus I (1211–1220)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, Gift of Gary Leiser, 2017.052.154.
Gold dinar, Il-Khanid Dynasty
Date: 1292
Mint: Probably Tabriz (Iran)
Ruler: Gaykhatu (1291–1295)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, Gift of Gary Leiser, 2017.052.391.Arabic and Mongolian inscriptions in the Uyghur script appear on both the obverse and reverse.
Copper fals, Artuqid Dynasty
Date: 1199–1200
Mint: None
Ruler: Yuluk Arslan, Husam al-Din (1184–1203)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, Gift of Gary Leiser, 2017.052.350.
Silver dirhams, Seljuk Dynasty of Rum or Anatolia (modern Turkey)
Dates: 1240–1244
Mints: Konya or Sivas
Ruler: Ghiyath al-Din Kay Khusraw II (1237–1246)
Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, promised gift from Gary Leiser.