1320

SPAIN Al-Andalus Almohads AV dinar Abu Yusuf Yaqub al Mansur 580-595AH NGC MS65 rare

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / World Coins By Country Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:3,500.00 - 5,000.00 USD
SPAIN Al-Andalus Almohads AV dinar Abu Yusuf Yaqub al Mansur 580-595AH NGC MS65 rare
CURRENT BID
2,800.00USD
ENTER YOUR MAXIMUM ABSENTEE BID[?]
You must bid at least
2,600.00USD
USD
2,600.00 x 1 unit = 2,600.00USDApplicable fees & taxes are added at checkout.
[?]Live Online Auction Starts In 2026 May 08 @ 09:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
By registering for our auction, you agree to the terms and conditions.
SPAIN (Al-Andalus), Almohads, AV dinar, Abu Yusuf Ya‘qub ibn Yusuf ibn ‘Abd al Mu’min al Mansur أبو يوسف يعقوب بن يوسف بن عبد المؤمن المنصور, 580-595 AH (1184-1199 AD), rare, NGC MS 65. Vives-2066; Hazard-501. 4.60 grams. Square in circle type with central epigraphic inscriptions naming the ruler and his Almohad lineage, typical Almohad design without mint or date. Struck during the reign of Abu Yusuf Ya‘qub who adopted the title al Mansur Billah (“Victorious through God”) after defeating the army of the Castilian king Alfonso VIII at the Battle of Alarcos on July 18, 1195. Choice grade with bold full inscriptions and nice luster.

With the rise of Almohad power, a new ideological framework was reflected in a corresponding transformation of the coinage. The formal change is immediately visible. The traditional circular design of the dinar was replaced by a distinctive square frame, eliminating the marginal circular legends in favor of inscriptions arranged within the central square. Dates were no longer included and mint names appear only rarely. The absence of these chronological and geographic indicators was partly offset by the emphasis placed on the issuing authority, whose genealogy was often fully recorded within the inscriptions. The ideological message also shifted, incorporating the reference to the Mahdi, the “rightly guided one,” a central element of Almohad doctrine. The most significant reform, however, concerned the weight standard. The Almohad dinar doubled in weight to approximately 4.6 grams. For this reason it became known in the Christian kingdoms as the “dobla,” and it served as an important metrological standard throughout much of the later Middle Ages. Another characteristic feature of Almohad coinage was the inclusion in the inscriptions of the predecessors of each ruler, reinforcing dynastic legitimacy. The resulting design, both structured and elegant, proved highly influential and would later be echoed in the coinage of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada.

Featured on back cover of printed catalog. NGC #8437663-014. Pedigreed to Aureo & Calicó Auction 448, March 2025, lot 48.
Please use this link to verify the certification number