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The Oriental collection of the Department of Numismatics
includes coins, money ingots, paper money, glass weights,
dies, coin-shaped amulets and the primitive currency of
Asia and Africa (including a number of islands of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans) from the time when money
began circulating in each of these countries to the present
day. It also has coins of the Moslem states of Europe: the
Arab territories in Spain (13th-15th centuries), Moslem
coins from Mediterranean islands (12th-century Sicily,
9th-century Crete, 15th-century Mallorca), coins of the
Volga Bulgars and Crimean khans (15th-18th centuries).
The Oriental section possesses over 200,000 numismatic
pieces, about two-thirds of which are from the Near and
Middle East and Central Asia, 9,000 from India and the
countries of Southeast Asia, 35,000 from the Far East.
There are 6,000 coins from European colonies of Africa and
Asia, and from independent countries of these continents.
The collection of oriental coins also includes a
considerable number of hoards, 65 in all, consisting of
35,000 coins, a half of which are Moslem dating from
between the 7th and 12th centuries.
The museum collection of Sassanian coins (presently
having approximately 5,200 items) is considered one of the
finest in the world. The pride of the collection is a unique
double dinar of King Hormizd II.
The collection of Khivan khans' dies consisting of 340
pieces is also unique. From a scholarly point of view, the
exceedingly valuable the collection of Chinese silver
money ingots of the 19th-early 20th centuries (515 items)
makes the museum collection of ingots one of the best in
the world outside China in both scope and plentitude.
The collection of oriental paper money is very small. It
presents the currency of numerous countries, the rarest of
which are 12th-century Chinese banknotes and rare silk
notes of the 19th-century Khivan khanate.
If you enjoyed this collection, you might want to also visit the other collections at the State Hermitage Museum.
Oriental Art
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Coin of Husan ad-din Yulik Arslan
1186 (dated 582 AH)
Full description
Coin of Nur ad-din Muhammad
1182/3 (dated 578 AH)
Full description
Drachma of Queen Buran
630 (dated Year 1)
Full description
20-Toman Piece of Shah Aga Muhammad
1796 (dated 1210 AH)
Full description
2-Mun Coin of the Yi Dynasty
1742-1752
Full description
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