The Sasanian Empire began after the fall of the Parthian Empire and existed from 224 AD under Ardashir I, to 651 AD under Yazdgard III. It was the last Iranian empire before the rise of Islam. The power and extent of the Sassanian kings grew so great, King Shapur I captured the Roman Emperor Valerian I in 260 at the Battle of Edessa and used the emperor as a footstool when mounting his horse. There are various accounts of what happened to Valerian after his capture, but the Sasanians would have their advancement into Roman territory halted by forces at Palmyra. At its greatest extent, the Sasanian Empire controlled nearly all of the modern Middle East, along with a great part of Western and Central Asia, the Caucasus, parts of North Africa and the Levant. Their success branched off to other cultures, including the Kushano-Sasanians during the third and fourth centuries. This is one category under Coins of Persia.
Sasanian coinage is fascinating and incredibly detailed. Also, it’s one of the few areas of ancient numismatics that can be collected by mint and date. Since I have no background in reading Arabic, I had to study a bit to get a basic grasp of how to identify the many marks on the coins, as well as the design elements of the crown, and have created a page on my website to help get anyone started.
http://beastcoins.com/Sasanian/Sasanian.htm
Here is a selection from different rulers of the many beautiful Sasanian coins available now at VCoins:
