Apart from their monetary function, coins from the Sasanian dynasty in Iran were symbols of legitimacy, faith, power and prestige accrued to the rulers in whose names they were struck. Such gold dinars and silver drachms were often works of art in their own right while their inscriptions, designs and possible archaeological contexts often provide key information in the history of art.

This rare coin follows a type associated with the reign of Yazdigir II (438-457 A.D.). These gold dinars were more ceremonial objects than actual currency. Instead, silver drachms were the main denomination of money in the Sasanian period (see M.2002.1.448). As is typical of Sasanian coinage, whether gold or silver, the obverse here depicts a bust of the king with crenelated crown surmounted by a crescent and paired wings. On the reverse is a fire altar with two attendants, a symbolic scene for the Zoroastrianism religion practiced by the Sasanians.