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Herat
is a major city in western Afghanistan. Being on a major trade
route,
it has been fought over and held by various conquerors for thousands of
years, including Alexander the Great, the Parthians,
Kushans,
Sasanians, and Ghenghiz
Khan. It was a one of the last cities that was held by the
Talaban
in the recent War in Afghanistan. After the War a hoard of
previously
unreported copper 1 and 2 Falus coins was discovered. Only about a
thousand
pieces were reported, so the coins are expected to remain
scarce.
The coins, struck in Herat, date between about 1829 and 1837. It was a
time Afghanistan was in state of major flux, with the Ottoman
Turks, Russia, and Mughal
India as well as various local warlords were all trying to conquer
part or all of the nation. The coins avoid referencing an
ruler.
They were most likely necessity issue for local use that was needed due
to the collapse of the central Afghan government. Until quite recently,
the coins were unreported in all major coin catalog, however they are
expected
to be listed an upcoming issue of the Standard Catalog of World Coins
as
KM45.1 and KMB45. The crudely struck coins grade VG.
Kamran
Shah claimed the throne of Afghanistan, however by 1838 his territory
had
been reduced to the walled city of Herat in
western
Afghanistan. The town was surrounded by Persian and British
troops
as well as troops of his rival claimants to the throne of
Afghanistan.
Even within Herat, his Grand Vizier had usurped his authority.
The
British supported the Persians in
their
siege of Herat, in exchange for the Persians attacking the Sikh
Empire, however they switched sides and helped defend Herat when
they
found out the Russians were also supporting
the
Persians. After months of unsuccessful siege and bombardment, the
Persians departed, leaving a destroyed and starving city. The
city
that had once held over 100,000 citizens was reduced to about 8,000. In
order to raise money the Grand Vizier sold many of his unlucky
remaining
citizens into slavery. The British tried to gain influence over
the
Grand Vizier. He took their money, but ignored their
proposals.
The British then launched an invasion of Afghanistan. They
quickly
occupied the country, but lost thousands of troops in an unsuccessful
attempt
to control the country. This silver Rupee was struck in 1838 in
Herat
during the time of siege. It was one of the last silver Rupees
ever
struck by that mint. This scarce coin has a catalog value of
between
$65 and $90, however our price is much less. This coin serves as an
excellent
reminder of the intrigue and chaos of Afghanistan.
Habibullah Ghazi (Habibullah
Kalakani) was born in the 1890’s in Afghanistan. After being
unsuccessful at school, various odd jobs and in army, he found a
successful and lucrative carrier of robbing caravans on the Silk Road
traveling between China and the Middle East. He soon became a
powerful local warlord. In 1928 King Amanullah’s attempts to modernize
the country, provoked revolts by conservatives throughout the
country. Habibullah initially used his troops to support the
King, then turned and marched on Kabul, the capital. Amanullah
fled the country and Habibullah became king of Afghanistan on January
17, 1929. He promptly reversed most of Amanullah’s reforms.
Meanwhile, General Mohammad Nadir Khan, (Nadir Shah) who had been
exiled by Amanullah, returned from Europe, and with a little help from
the British, quickly retook the country. By October, Nadir Khan
surrounded Kabul and Habibullah fled back to his village.
Nadir Khan promised Habibullah’s safety, but instead he executed him
and Nadir Khan made himself king. This silver Half Rupee (Qiran)
was issued during the short, 9 month reign of Habibullah Ghazi
in1929. It is dated AH1347. One side shows the Afghan arms
that features a mosque and two flags. The other side has
inscriptions within a wreath, including the title “Amir
Habibullah”. The coin shows little wear, but is unevenly struck
so many of the details do not show up. It is a scarce coin from
the short reign of the bandit who became the King of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan
recently released its first coins for circulation since 1980.
The set
includes a copper-plated steel 1 Afghani, a steel 2 Afghani and an
aluminum-bronze (brass) 5 Afghani, dated SH1383, which corresponds to
AD2004. The coins feature the denomination on one side and the
traditional arms of Afghanistan on the other. The coins were
minted in
Europe, sent by ship to Pakistan, and then trucked to
Afghanistan.
Millions of the coins were stolen while they were in transit in
Pakistan. The loss was only discovered when sharp-eyed customs official
noted that a truck containing the coins was much lighter than it should
have been. The release of the coins was delayed until the stolen
coins
were recovered. The coins help mark Afghanistan's return to normalcy
after years of civil war and Taliban rule.COINS
OF GHENGHIZ KHAN
RARE SILVER COIN OF MANGUBARNI
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