Baldwin's Blog Profiles a Gold Dinar of the Sasanian King Shapur I (February 2025)

This article is based on a blog post published by the British dealer Baldwin's (A H Baldwin & Sons Ltd) on February 18, 2025. The post profiles a single coin the firm offers; the descriptions and assessments are Baldwin's own.

The Coin Baldwin's Profiled

Baldwin's presented a gold dinar from the reign of Shapur I of the Sasanian Kingdom (241-272 AD) as "rare and superb." The post ends with a link to the coin's listing. It does not state a price or a grade.

According to the post, gold coinage from the Sasanian period is significantly rarer than the more commonly found silver drachms. The Sasanians mainly struck silver coins for wide use, while gold dinars were reserved for special occasions, payments to high-ranking officials or diplomatic gifts, the post says.

Shapur I and Rome

The post says Shapur I succeeded his father Ardashir I and continued the expansion of Persian influence, particularly against Rome. In 260 AD he defeated and captured the Roman Emperor Valerian, an event depicted in rock reliefs at Naqsh-e Rostam and Bishapur, according to the post.

The Designs

The post describes the designs of this coin type. The obverse typically shows Shapur I wearing a stepped crown with a korymbos, a large globular ornament. The reverse often shows a fire altar, a Zoroastrian symbol representing Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity of Zoroastrianism.

The post also says Sasanian coinage influenced early Islamic coinage after the Arab conquest of Persia. The portrait style of the Sasanian rulers and the fire altar design were adapted into early Islamic coins before purely Arabic inscriptions became the norm, it says.

Source: Baldwin's, "Sasanian Kingdom, Shapur I (241-272 AD), gold Dinar – rare and superb" (February 18, 2025).