Jital - ‘Ala al-din Muhammad "Muhammad II of Khwarezm" 'Y' ND
| Billon | 3.1 g | 15 mm |
| Issuer | Khwarezmian Empire (Khwarezmian dynasties) |
|---|---|
| Shah | Muhammad II (1200-1220) |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Years | 1200-1220 |
| Value | 1 Jital (1⁄50) |
| Currency | Jital (1077-1231) |
| Composition | Billon |
| Weight | 3.1 g |
| Diameter | 15 mm |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Hammered |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-10-05 |
| Numista | N#396084 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 95% |
Comment
Tye notes the following in his catalogue concerning the iconoclastic types 245 - 288:
“The overview of types outlined above is necessarily provisional, and is likely to be amended by future discoveries, the ghazna-type of the great city of Herat for instance is only known from the chance discovery of a single specimen.”
Indeed, Tye lists #255 as previously unpublished. Thus, it is likely that many varieties exist for each of these types in the Tye catalogue and so variations on the inscriptions are likely. Likewise, variations in the accepted weights are to be expected, e.g., Tye gives the weight of the specimen he examined as 3.1 grams whereas the specimen shown in the photos above is 3.32 grams. In fact, Tye theorizes that the variations in weights and debasement of the silver content during this period may be due to their use as a fiduciary (fiat) currency.
Interesting fact
One interesting fact about this coin is that it was issued during the reign of Muhammad II of Khwarezm, who was known for his military campaigns and territorial expansion, which led to the Khwarezmian Empire becoming one of the largest empires in the 13th century.
