1 Dirhem

This glass weight originates from the Fatimid period of Ancient Egypt, roughly the 10th to 12th centuries. Unlike machine-made coins today, each coin in ancient Egypt was minted by hand, making it a lot harder to ensure that coins met the weight protocol of a standardized currency. This glass weight could have helped a coinmaker check that they were making coins with accurate weight. It could have also served a seller check to make sure they were receiving the correct weight of metal for the amount of goods they sold.

To make this glass weight, the maker used an iron stamp on molten glass. Most stamps bear the name of a ruler, or else an official who commissioned the coins be made. When a new leader or official assumed command, the glass coin weights would be stamped with the new names.