Rare Islamic gold coin tops London auction  

UK: A rare Islamic gold solidus, with a specific religious text known as the Shahada, fetched the highest bid of GBP168,000 (US$214,738) at the Morton & Eden auction in London. The Arab-Byzantine style coin was issued by Umayyad ruler Abd al-Malik bin Marwan and measures 20mm in diameter and weighs 4.27g.  It is believed to have been minted just before the introduction of Islamic coinage in Anno Hegirae, or ‘Year of the Hijrah’ AH 77 (697 CE), making it a valuable artifact from that period. Only four other coins of this kind have been offered for auction in the last 42 years.