MONGOLS - the GOLDEN HORDE
    The Mongol empire was a feudal construct bequeathed by Chingis Khan to his sons and grandsons.  The divisions were called Ordu, which we have modified to "horde."  That term in English has come to mean a giant mass of people, with subsidiary implications of ferocious rapacity, but the original word is an administrative term meaning "capital city".  Chingis' son Juji got an appanage in Turkestan.  His son, Batu, expanded the family territories westward across south Russia and Ukraine.
    The ordus were denominated by colors.  Juji's was "golden."  Batu's, subsidiary to Juji's, was "blue," and there were a few other smaller ones; white, etc.
    The Blue Horde capital was located on the Volga, called Serai, Gulistan, or Ordu.  A later khan, Jani Beg, established a new capital upriver, called New Serai (Serai al-Jadid), New Gulistan, etc.
    The Blue Horde had itself a succession war in the late 14th century that continued for a couple of decades until the lands were invaded by the White Horde under Toqtamish, a descendent of Juji's older brother, with the help of Tamerlane.  The reunited Golden Horde rampaged around, sacked Moscow (1382), etc.  But Toqtamish quarrelled with Tamerlane, who, as is said around here, whomped him good, and twice.  A period of anarchy ensued.  Russia became independent, the Crimea too, the Golden Horde disappeared.  Time marched on.
    Golden Horde coins used to be all locked up in the USSR and were very rare.  Now some of them are almost common.  This is probably an anomalous situation, the result of many decades of finds being dumped on the market.  I expect to see them become relatively scarce again "sometime."

GOLDEN HORDE, Jani Beg, 1341-57, silver dirham, A-2027, Gulistan, 752 AH (1351 AD), minor edge chips, cleaned VG  $21.00 sold 5/22/2008
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GOLDEN HORDE, Jani Beg, 1341-57, copper fals, A-2030, MI-1527+, New Saray, 752 AH (1351 AD), flower, VF $25.00 sold
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GOLDEN HORDE, Toqtamish, 1378-95, silver dirham, A-2048, New Saray, 782 AH (1380 AD), part weak, choice VF $27.00 sold 11/12/2007
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I have a number of unpictured Golden Horde coins in stock.  Look for them here.

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