Owner Comments:
The Ikhshidid dynasty (Arabic: الإخشيديون) ruled Egypt from 935 to 969. Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, a Turkic slave soldier, was appointed governor by the Abbasid Caliph. The dynasty carried the Arabic title "Wāli" reflecting their position as governors on behalf of the Abbasids. The Ikhshidids came to an end when the Fatimid army conquered Fustat in 969.
This coin was struck in the name of Abu'l-Qasim Unujur ibn al-Ikhshid (أبو القاسم أنوجور بن الإخشيد), son of Tughj al-Ikhshid. Abu'l-Qasim ruled from 946 to 961, but actual power was held by the black eunuch Abu'l-Misk Kafur.
Abu'l-Misk Kafur was originally a black slave from Ethiopia, he was promoted as vizier of Egypt, becoming its de facto ruler from 946. After the death of his master, Muhammad bin Tughj, Kafur succeeded the latter to become the de jure ruler of the Ikshidid domains, Egypt and southern Syria (including Damascus), until his death in 968.
From a Baldwins of St. James auction, along with the Fatimid dinar from the 1100's appearing later in this collection.