When last we left off, we had come to the conclusion that it would behoove us to examine not just MY Da Vinci Coin, and not just its close twin from the 1998 Alex Malloy catalog, but OTHER 1233-58 bronze dirham coins struck at the Al-Mowsil Mint! Which brought an immediate question to mind: How many of them are out there?!

And that brought up a second question: Do ALL 1233-58 bronze dirhams struck at the Al-Mowsil mint look like my Da Vinci Coin and its 1998 Alex Malloy catalog twin?

And that brought up a THIRD question: if all 1233-58 bronze dirhams of the (allegedly) Al-Mowsil mint look alike, are they truly Turkoman coins or are they actually Crusader-struck imitations of Turkoman coins?

So I did some online, catalog and book research. What I have discovered—at least thus far—is startling. First and foremost, I discovered that NOT all 1233-58 bronze dirhams of the Al-Mowsil Mint struck under the Zangids…. are alike. Sure, they are generally alike in the basic design motif: the obverse features a seated/crossed-legged figure holding a crescent (with face peering out over the upside down crescent), while the reverse shows Arabic script in the legend and inscription.

And yet, all of the 1233-58 bronze dirhams of Al-Mowsil that I have seen thus far, are clearly not the same as my Da Vinci Coin, nor do they match the 1998 Alex Malloy catalog piece.

Imagine if Disney completely redid their 1938 classic animation feature, Snow White, using 21st century Pixar animation. The story would be the same. The characters would be recognizable as the same characters. It would still be an “animated” Disney Snow White movie. And yet it would not be the same movie at all. You would surely recognize Snow White, the wicked Queen and the Dwarves, but unlike the 1938 Snow White feature, now the characters would move about on screen in sharp 3-D, complete with rich color hues and shadows.

In short, the 1938 2-D Snow White would look more dated—and quite different-- compared to a 2015 Pixar animation 3-D Snow White (though I’ll leave it up to you as to which you prefer).

Basically, my Da Vinci Coin and its 1998 Alex Malloy catalog twin, are 2-D animation; the 1233-58 bronze dirhams I have viewed online and in books, are 3-D animation. The latter appear to be thicker, of better craftsmanship. The face on the obverse has stronger, more Greek-like features. The Arabic script on the reverse is bolder, more graceful. Granted, the pics I have viewed are of pieces in better condition, but even taking the wear of my Da Vinci Coin into account, there is clearly a difference. To be more specific, the dies used to make my Da Vinci Coin (and the Alex Malloy piece) are much different than the dies used to make STANDARD, more common 1233-58 bronze dirhams of Al-Mowsil. There could be one of two explanations for this:

1. All are Turkoman coins, but drastically different dies were used throughout the 1233 to 1258 period.

This is not unheard of in the coin world. Even as recently as the 1830’s, our own U.S. Mint used sharply different obverse coin dies to strike the 1836 U.S. half dollar coin. In other words, the Miss Liberty of SOME 1836 U.S. half dollars has a bold and straight nose/forehead to go along with a stern facial expression. OTHER half dollars of 1836 feature a younger-looking Miss Liberty with a gentle sloping nose and a hint of a grin on her lips! Why the same basic design but yet a distinctive difference? Because in the old days, a coin die would wear out, and the coin maker would set about to have a new one made--- by hand! Which resulted in less-than-exact copies of the original “blueprint!”

That means the difference between the Da Vinci Coin (as well as its Alex Malloy catalog twin), and all OTHER 1233 to 1258 bronze dirhams of Al-Mowsil Mint, may simply be a matter of a pretty drastically different die variety being used when another wore out. Perhaps the die maker for the Da Vinci Coin variety was simply a less talented die/coin maker than the previous or later 1233-58 Al-Mowsil die/coin maker! OR…..

2. My Da Vinci Coin—and Alex Malloy piece—are crude imitations.

Again, a very real possibility given that this was ALSO a common practice in centuries past—that imitations would be struck of popularly-used, currently circulating coins. And again, this opens up the intriguing possibility that the Da Vinci Coin (and others like it) may NOT have been struck by Turkoman coin makers at Al-Mowsil, but at a Crusader fortress! If that is the case, we can only guess where that would be: Aleppo? Acre? Tripoli? Jerusalem?

However, this leaves us with ANOTHER intriguing mystery to ponder. Namely, I have only found a grand total of TWO “Da Vinci Coins”: My coin, and (once again) the piece pictured in the 1998 Alex Malloy catalog. All other “1233-58 bronze dirhams of Al-Mowsil Mint” coins I have seen thus far, ARE NOT THE SAME COIN!

SURELY my Da Vinci Coin has more than one sibling, does it not? If so, where are they?! Could it be possible that my Da Vinci Coin only exists in tiny numbers (dare I even consider that there might only BE two pieces in existence)? At this point, I do not know—I am still seeking a THIRD example! What I can tell you is this: the fewer “Da Vinci Coins” in existence, the GREATER the chances this artifact has a unique story behind it—much like a handful of specially-struck coins meant for royal presentation only(the Spanish, among others, would do this).

It is still too early to conclude that the Da Vinci Coin is a specially-struck rarity, but if it is, the greater the chances this piece has something unique and special to tell us—perhaps even about the Lost Ark of the Covenant!

By the way, the pic above this post shows an example of a 1233-58 bronze dirham of Al_Mowsil struck under the Zangids. Compare the obverse of this coin to the obverse of the Da Vinci Coin. In addition to the difference in the facial features of the seated ruler, hopefully what will also strike you is the lack of a glaring "Ark" object, as well as the lack of a "funnel cloud" connecting said "Ark" to the crescent. In fact, google for yourself ("1233 1258 dirham Al Mowsil") and you should come up with several images out there on the web-- I don't think you'll find a piece that matches my "Da Vinci Coin." If you DO, LET ME KNOW!!!!!! Next week's post will show a standard REVERSE of a 1233-58 bronze dirham of Al-Mowsil, and in that case too, you should see the difference in the Arabic script, the style.

How Many "Da Vinci Coins" Are Out There?

MOVEMENT! ANOTHER DA VINCI COIN FOUND? A NEW TIME FRAME?

May 23: A Clue to the Makers of the Da Vinci Coin?

STOP THE PRESSES: New (Observational) Revelations About the Da Vinci Coin!

The Da Vinci Coin Last and Final Thoughts (For Now)

Special Bulletin: Another "Hand of God" Found on Another Turkoman Coin?

The Da Vinci Coin: Conclusions, Part I

Lessons From A Crusader Period Coin of Aleppo, Syria

The Da Vinci Coin Mystery: What Is Needed Next

Comparing the Da Vinci Coin and the Alex Malloy Coin (Are They Truly the Same?)

Todd Cook