Important Collection of Islamic Glass Weights at Numismatica Genevensis SA

Glass weights and measure stamps were found in large numbers during the 19th century in Egypt, but as nearly all ended up in public collections (Cairo Gayer-Anderson; BM, London, ANS New York; Strasbourg university) they have become very rare over the last half century. In spite of this scarcity an old debate as for the historical use of the coinlike struck glass pieces, which were often addressed as “glass coins” has divided the views of numismatists until today. In particular the Fatimid glass pieces of the 11th and 12th centuries, which outnumber the rest of this class of objects are often labelled as jetons in numismatic trade. For a long time it seemed that Fatimid coinage was mostly consisting of gold coins, which would explain a demand for lower value token currency. But finds over the last fifty years show us that billon dirhams existed in large quantities. However these low grade silver coins and to some extent also the gold, were no longer struck according to fixed weight standards, but had to be weighed in every transaction. This explains the very close connection between coins and weights as both had to be used together by any person active in economic transactions.

Let us now move through the history of this group of objects using pieces from the collection.

Arab-Sasanian. Glass vessel stamp showing a winged horse (al-buraq) pacing toward the right, circa 680-720 AD. 7,7 g

Umayyad

The collection begins with a series of three early vessel stamps showing images of animals (rams, a winged horse or Burâq, some accompanied by bismillâh), which have been introduced into numismatics by Paul Balog in 1974. They come from the Eastern part of the early Islamic world and date to the Umayyad period. Another eight vessel stamps and coin weights from come from Egypt with one exception.

One of the most spectacular objects in this collection is a weight dated 107 H and bearing only the name of the caliph Hisham and no official. It belongs to a type of compact weights, which are rather high and heavy (31 mm diameter, 18 mm high). Some adhering glass at the side of a different color appears to be not the remnant of a vessel, but rather a weight adding verification stamp. It is clearly Syrian, not Egyptian and confirms the detailed report on ‘Abd al-Malik’s monetary reform supported by the manufacture of glass weights.

Umayyad. ‘Ubayd Allah b. al-Habhab, finance director, 102-114 AH. Glass vessel stamp. 9,45g.

More typical for Egyptian measure stamps is the olive green one Qist stamp with nine lines of text giving the names of the so called financial director of Egypt, al-Qâsim ibn ‘Ubayd-allâh and his deputy Muslim ibn al-‘Arrâf, dated 119 H. (ill. 361, Balog 177), or a more modest (only four lines) for a Qist of figs under the finance director Hayyân ibn Shurayh, in office 99-101 H., or a translucent green Qist-measure under Hafs ibn al-Walîd, finance director 124-125 H.

Abbasid

Abbasid weights are fewer with five coins weights and three vessel stamps and some are difficult to discern from the earlier Umayyad. An interesting small weight in the name of Yazîd ibn Hâtim al-Muhallabî, governor 144-152 H. is inscribed as a weight of one third and with 1.40 g it refers clearly to the third of a dinar, which had not been struck in gold for half a century by the time the weight was made, and not to a Byzantine tremissis.