A remarkable gold coin—a unique imitation of the Arabic dinar (in size, weight, and inscriptions) minted in England in the late 8th century. This unique gold coin (the only known example in the world!) belongs to King Offa of Mercia (reigned 757–796). It imitates the gold dinar of the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur, issued in 157 AH (773–774). The coin's diameter is 20 mm and its weight is approximately 4.28 g, which closely matches the gold dinar's weight standard. Its design closely resembles the Abbasid original. Popular literature sometimes claims that Offa's coin contains "meaningless pseudo-Arabic script." However, this is definitely not the case. The text, although heavily imitated, is close enough to the original to confidently identify the original inscriptions. Obverse: In the central field: "There is no god but Allah, the One, without partner"; Around the rim: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth, to reveal it above all religions, even though the polytheists hate it" (quote from the Quran, 9:33). Reverse: In the center: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"; Between these three lines, upside down (!), the artist wrote in Latin: OFFA REX ("King Offa"); Around the rim: "In the name of Allah. This dinar was minted in the year 157 " _____ #historia #history #metaldetecting #mydigworld #sword #dirtfishing #hobbydetecting #gold #coinhunting #relichunting #Archaeology #HistoricalArtifacts #museums