Hi Joe,
I didn’t want to let your post go unanswered, although I don’t know how much
help I’ll be. Reading Pahlavi, especially as script on coins, is really difficult for me, especially as the dates go higher. Paleography of coins is a real challenge. Just consider P. O. Skjærvø’s essay on the subject in
SNS I.
All of the above aside, my opinion may not be worth much given my lack of long term experience but I agree with you that the date on the coin above (from
Coin Archives) looks like 37 and not 38. Not only have I studied the
Sasanian Dates Numiswiki page, written and rewritten the script by hand (or at least tried to!), but I’ve also consulted
MacKenzie Pahlavi, Khusro II RY 37 coin images on T. K. Mallon’s archived site, RY 37 Khusro II coin images on
Zeno, as well as just a tiny smattering of images of Khusro II’s coins (four different mints) from RY 37 and RY 38 in
SNS Iran II (16 from RY 37 and 10 from RY 38). I
had to use a 25x magnifying
glass for those
I wish that I could give you a definitive answer, but alas, I can’t. Sorry.
Tracy