THE MIDDLE EAST
Coins and currency from this region that is so
frequently in
the
news.
For other coins
of this region, also check out
the following pages:
AFGHANISTAN
COIN & CURRENCY PAGE
IRAQ COINS
& CURRENCY]
ATTRACTIVE
SYRIAN COIN SET

Syria
has been undergoing a massive upheaval as thousands of brave Syrians
protest the auto-cratic government of Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded
his father as President in 2000. It may soon be the next
government to fall in the Arab Spring revolutions. The
bi-metallic 25 Pounds pictures the modern Central Bank
building, while Syria’s ancient heritage is featured on the
other coins.. The copper-nickel 10 Pounds pictures
the ancient ruins at Palmyra. The copper-nickel 5 Pounds
features the medieval Citadel of Aleppo. The 2nd
century Roman Theater in Borsa is on the copper-nickel 2 Pounds. All
four coins feature the Syrian arms on the obverse and are dated 1996
(the Arabic numeral 6 looks like the western numeral 7), and are
Uncirculated. Our price is far less than the sets $16.50 catalog
value.
Item
SY-SET4
SYRIA 4 COIN SET 2 – 25 POUNDS 1996, KM123-126 BU $7.50
ISLAMIC
IRAN
COMMEMORATES
ISLAM AND JERUSALEM

Shortly
after coming into power in 1979, the
revolutionary Islamic government of Iran issued two commemorative coins
that caused a bit of a stir in some diplomatic circles. The
first
is a copper-nickel 20 Rials dated both SH1358 and AH1400
(AD1979). It pictures banners with Islamic inscriptions
covering
the earth. The coin commemorates the 1400th anniversary
(based on
the Muslim lunar calendar) of the Prophet Mohammad’s flight from Mecca
to Medina in 622AD. The event, known as The Hijra, marks the
start of the Muslim calendar. Our price for this historic
coin is
less than half of its $15 catalog value. The other coin is a
1
Rial coin picturing the Mosque of Omar - which is located in Jerusalem,
Israel. The Mosque, also known as the Dome of the Rock or
Qubbet
el-Sakhra is one of the holiest sites to Jews, Muslims and
Christians. It is the site of the original Jewish Temple,
where
Jesus preached. The Foundation Stone or Rock at the
center
of the dome was where many Jews believe that Abraham offered to
sacrifice his son Isaac. Muslims believe that it is the spot where the
Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. The aluminum-bronze clad
steel coin 1 Rial is dated SH1359 (AD1980).
Item
IR-1244
IRAN 20 RIALS 1979 1400th
ANNIVERSARY KM1244 UNC.
$7.00
Item
IR-1245
IRAN 1 RIAL 1980 MOSQUE OF OMAR
KM1245 UNC. $4.00
2004 COIN SET FROM
IRAN
The Islamic Republic of Iran recently released four new coins in
October 2004. The bi-metallic 500 Rials features a design
based
on medieval art showing a bird and flowers. The designs of
the
250, 100 and 50 Rials
are similar to the previous coins of
Iran,
however the coins are smaller are made of different metals.
The
copper-nickel
250 Rials features a Pomegranate blossom. The
aluminum-bronze 100 Rials shows the Shrine of Iman Reza. The
aluminum-bronze 50 Rials shows the Shrine of Hazrat
Masumah. All four coins are dated SH1383
(AD2004) and are Uncirculated. Our price is less than half of
their $16.50 catalog value.
Item
IR-SET04
IRAN 4 COIN SET 50-500 RIALS 2004AD KM1267-1269 UNC.
$6.00
Item
IR-1269
IRAN BI-METALLIC 500 RIALS 2004AD KM1269 from the above set UNC.
$3.75
OLD
COIN OF OTTOMAN EGYPT
This
billon (heavily alloyed silver) 1 Para was issued in Ottoman Egypt
during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid, who ruled from 1774 to
1789. The 16mm coin is so thin the design on the front tends
to
show through on the back! Abdul Hamid was
imprisoned the
first 43 years of his life by his cousins, who preceded him
to
the throne. He was a pious and gracious Sultan, that suffered
major defeats in wars with Russia, including the loss of the
Crimea. It is an interesting and unusual old coin from the
time
when Egypt was part of the once-great Ottoman Empire.
Item EG-121 OTTOMAN EGYPT 1 PARA 1774-1789
KM121 Fine $6.00
EGYPTIAN
COIN SET
Egypt has a very long history, extending back over 5000
years.
They also have issued a lot of coins due to an extensive series of
circulating commemorative coins. When you have over 5000
years of
history, there is a lot to commemorate. Their coin designs reflect both
their ancient and modern heritage. A supplier in Egypt
managed to
assemble sets of 75 different Egyptian coins. The
set
contains both circulated and Uncirculated coins, from the 1930’s to the
present, including issues from the Kingdom of Egypt and United Arab
Republic, and maybe a few tokens. The sets would make an
excellent start of a
collection. It would probably take years of work to assemble
so
many different Egyptian coins if one did not live there.
Item
BK-EG-SET75 75 DIFFERENT EGYPTIAN
COINS $69.75
ATTRACTIVE COINS FROM
EGYPT
This set of five Egyptian coins features that nations rich cultural
heritage. The 1984 1 Piastre features the nations most famous
landmark,
the ancient Pyramids of Giza. The 1992 5 Piastre shows an
Islamic
vase or hanging lamp. The 1992 10 Piastres shows The Mohammad
Ali
(Alabaster) Mosque in Cairo. The 1992 20 Piastres features
the
Al-Azhar
Mosque in Cairo. The 1993 25 Piastre features a center
hole.
The five coins are Uncirculated.
Item
S-EG-SET5 EGYPT 5 COIN SET 1-25 PIASTRES,
UNC.
$7.50
ANCIENT PHARAOHS ON
MODERN EGYPTIAN COINS

These two stunning modern Egypian coins feature two of the most famous
Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The bi-metallic 1 Pound coin
pictures King Tutankhamen. The aluminum-bronze 50 Piastres pictures the
famed Queen Cleopatra. The coins are 25mm in diameter,
are dated 2005 and are not magnetic.. The attractive designs make a
wonderful
addition to a collection, great cut-ouy coins or coin jewelry.
Item
EG-SET2 EGYPT 1 POUND
& 50 PIASTRES 2005, UNC.
$7.00
JORDAN
COIN SET
This set of four Jordanian includes the 2000 1 Piastre and 5
Piastres, the 2004 10 Piastres and seven-sided 2004 1/4 Dinar. All four
coins picture the
young King
Abdullah II of Jordan
who assumed the throne in 1999. The
reverse includes the date and denomination. The king, an avid Star
Trek fan, was an extra in a Star Trek
Voyager
episode in 1995. Due to Union rules however, he was not allowed to have
a speaking part.
Item
S-JO-SET4 JORDAN 4 COIN
SET 2000-2004 UNC. out
MODERN LEBANESE COIN
SET FEATURES CEDAR TREE
This 5 coin set includes the 2002 dated 25 Livres, 1996 8-sided 50
Livres, the 2000 dated 100, 250 and 500 Livres. In an attempt
to keep both the Christian and Muslim factions of the country happy,
one side of the coin is in French and uses western numerals (Lebanon
was once a French colony). The other side is Arabic and
features a Cedar tree. Lebanon has been famous for
its Cedars since ancient times. The Cedars of Lebanon are mentioned
numerous times in the Bible. They are now the
national symbol of Lebanon.
Item
S-LB-SET5 LEBANON 5 COIN SET, 25-500 LIVRES
1996-2003 UNC. $8.00
ISRAEL’S
FIRST COMMEMORATIVE COINS
These seven coins are Israel’s seven first copper-nickel commemorative
coins. The series was issued only from 1958 to 1963. Their
beautiful, modernistic designs and low mintages helped spark a boom in
Israeli coins in the 1960’s. The coins are now available at a small
fraction of what they sold for at the height of the Israeli coin boom
back then. The 1 Lira, sometimes called the 1 Pound, coins
are 32mm in diameter, the 1/2 Lira (1/2 Pound or 1/2 Shekel)
is 30mm in diameter. The coins were struck in both
Uncirculated and Proof. Unlike many modern Proofs, the early Israeli
Proof coins did not have a frosted or mirror finishes. For
most issues, about the only way to distinguish the between the
Uncirculated and Proof versions, is that the Proof version has the
Hebrew letter "mem" added to the design.
| Image
(click to enlarge) |
Description
and price |
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1/2 LIRE 1962 - FESTIVAL OF PURIM
The 1962 1/2 Shekel, or 1/2 Lire honors the Festival of Purim. The coin
features a silver shekel from the revolt
against Rome in 66AD. Purim
commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people living in the ancient
Persian Empire from a plot to annihilate them. It is
recorded in the
Book of Esther. The coin is Proof and has a mintage of only
9894 pieces in
Proof.
Item IL-PUR-PF
ISRAEL 1/2 SHEKEL (LIRA) 1962 FEASTIVAL OF PURIM KM31 PROOF
$7.00
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1 LIRA 1958 HANUKKAH - LAW IS LIGHT
The 1958 1 Lira was the one of the first commemorative coins issued by
Israel. It features a seven branched menorah to
commemorate
Hanukkah. The coin is titled “Law is Light”. Hanukkah, the
"Festival of
Lights”, celebrates the miracle of a how small vial of oil that burned
for eight days for the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple following
the victory of the Jewish Maccabees over the Syrians. It has
a mintage of 149,594 and is probably one of the most undervalued
Israeli commemorative coins.
Item IL-LAW-U
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1958 LAW IS LIGHT KM22 UNC. $1.95
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1 LIRA 1960 - DEGANYA KIBBUTZ
This attractive 1960 Lira commemorates and pictures the 50th
anniversary of the Deganya (Degania) Kibbutz, the first Kibbutz in
Israel. The coin features a view of the Kibbutz. It is a
mintage of 49,455 pieces in Uncirculated.
Item IL-DEG-U
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1960 DEGANYA KM28 UNC. $4.00
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1 LIRA 1960 - HENRIETTA SZOLD
Henrietta Szold is honored on this 1960 1 Lira coin from
Israel. Szold, born in Baltimore, was the founder of the
Hadassah Women's Organization, which started the first teaching
hospital in Palestine. She also operated a movement that
rescued thousands of Jewish children from Nazi Europe. The
obverse pictures a woman holding a lamb. The reverse features
the Hadassah Medical Center. The coin has a mintage of 16,781
in Uncirculated and only 3000 pieces in Proof, making it the key to the
series.
Item IL-SZOLD-U
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1960 HENRIETTA SZOLD KM32 UNC. $15.00
Item IL-SZOLD-PF
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1960 HENRIETTA SZOLD KM32 PROOF $65.00
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1 LIRA
1961- DEATH OF A HASMONEAN HERO
The 1961 1 Pound coin from Israel pictures a man underneath an elephant
stabbing the belly of the beast. The coin, known as the
“Death of a Hasmonean Hero” or the “Maccabean Hero” tells the story of
Eleazer killing a war elephant as is written in 1 Macabees
6:42-47. In 163BC Seleucid King Antiochus V sent an army to
Judea put down the revolt lead by Judas Maccabeus who was seeking
freedom for the Jewish state. Included in the forces were 32
of the most terrifying weapons of the era - elephants. Each
elephant lead a force of a thousand men. Eleazer, the younger
brother of Judas Maccabeaus, spied the largest and most heavily armored
of the elephants. Assuming that it carried the king, he
single handedly fought his way through the phalanx of soldiers
surrounding the elephant, ran under the beast and stabbed it in the
belly. The dying elephant fell on top of Eleazer, killing
him. Alas, the elephant did not carry the king, and the
Jewish forces soon retreated in the face of strength of the Seleucid
army. The obverse of the coin features a torch and the legend
in Hebrew “And he gave up his soul in battle”. The coin has
a mintage of 18,801 in Uncirculated.
Item IL-HERO-U
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1961 HERO - ELEPHANT KM34 UNC. $7.00
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1 LIRA
1962 - ITALIAN HANUKKAH LAMP
The 1962 Lira features a 17th century Hanukkah lamp from
Italy. Its mintage is only 9560 in Uncirculated and 5941 in
Proof.
Item
IL-ITALY-PF
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1962 ITALIAN HANUKKAH LAMP KM38 PROOF $15.00
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1 LIRA 1963 - NORTH AFRICAN HANUKKAH LAMP
The 1963 Lira displays an 18th century North African Hanukkah
lamp. It has a mintage of 9928 Uncirculated pieces and 5412
pieces in Proof.
Item IL-AFRICA-U
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1962 NORTH AFRICAN HANUKKAH LAMP KM42 UNC. $10.00
Item IL-AFRICA-PF
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1962 NORTH AFRICAN HANUKKAH LAMP KM42 PROOF $19.50
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SET OF ALL 7 OF THE ISRAELI COPPER-NICKEL
COMMEMORATIVE COINS
Set includes 1 Lira 1958 Law is Light, 1960 Deganya, 1960 Henrietta
Szold, 1961 Hero and 1963 North African
Lamp, all in Uncirculated condition and the 1/2 Lira 1962 Purim and
1962 Italian Lamp in
Proof . Buy the set and save!
Item
IL-SETCOM
SET OF ALL 7 OF THE ABOVE ISRAEL COMMEMORATIVE COINS,
1958-1963 $55.00
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ATTRACTIVE COINS FROM
ISRAEL
This two coin set includes a
1/2 Lirah featuring a Menorah and a 1 Lirah showing three pomegranates,
a design based on the ancient coins of Israel. Both of the
copper-nickel coins are dated 1970 in the Hebrew
calendar
In 1980 the coins were withdrawn from circulation when a new, revalued
currency was introduced.
Item
IL-SET2ISRAEL
1/2 & 1 Lirah 1970,
Unc. $2.00
MODERN ISRAELI
COIN SET
These five modern coins of Israel
feature themes from the countries ancient past. The 1 Sheqel
pictures an ancient lily motif that dates back to the 4th century BC.
An ancient harp is on the 1/2 Sheqel. A seven
branched menorah from an ancient carving dating from about 49 to 37BC
is on the 10 Agorot. A coin from the Jewish revolt against
Rome dating from 69AD is on the 5 Agorot. An ancient galley,
a motif used on the coins of Herod Archelaus (4 - 6BC), is on the 1
Agorot. All five coins bear the denomination on the reverse
and are Uncirculated. The coins are dated 1986 or later in the Hebrew
calendar. It is an attractive and historic set.
Item
S-IL-SET5 ISRAEL
5 COIN SET, 1 AGOROT - 1 SHEQEL 1986-2007 UNC.
$6.00
SAUDI
ARABIAN
BI-METALLIC COINS
Saudi
Arabia issued two
bi-metallic 100 Halala coins in 1999 (AH1419). The regular
issue
features a palm tree and a pair of crossed swords. The
commemorative issue honors the 100th anniversary of the Saudi
Kingdom. Saudi Arabia dates it's founding to a night in 1902
when
Abdul Aziz ibn Saud and 40 of his followers did a daring midnight raid,
capturing the Ottoman fort at Riyadh. With the support of the
conservative Islamic Wahhabi clergy, Abdul Aziz declared a
Jihad,
or holy war against the Ottomans and other rulers who controlled the
Arabian Peninsula. After the defeat of the
Ottoman's in
World War I by Allied forces, Abdul Aziz conquered neighboring Hejaz,
and consolidated his kingdom into what is today Saudi Arabia. The
design of the coin features extensive calligraphy as well as a stylized
representation of a palm tree, and the
fort. The 100
years from1902 to 1999 is based on the lunar Hegira calendar, which has
slightly shorter years than a solar calendar.
Item
SA-66SAUDI ARABIA 100 HALALA REGULAR ISSUE,
KM66 UNC. $5.00
Item
SA-67SAUDI ARABIA 100 HALALA 100TH
ANNIVERSARY, KM67 UNC.
$6.00
Also see:
BEAUTIFUL OLD BU SAUDI SILVER RIYAL
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES COIN SET
In 1971,
after Great Britain
terminated its promise to protect them from external aggression, seven
sheikdoms on the Arabian Peninsula joined together to form the United
Arab Emirates. This three-coin set of the current coins of
the
United Arab Emirates includes the 1998 25 Fils showing a Gazelle, the
2005 seven-sided 50 Fils showing oil derricks (oil being the source of
much of their wealth) and the 1998 1 Dirham showing a coffee
pot.
All three coins are Brilliant Uncirculated.
Item
S-UAE-SET3UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 3 COIN SET, BU $5.00
YEMEN
REPUBLIC SET INCLUDES BI-METALLIC COIN
This four coin set features the current coins
of the
Yemen Republic. The set includes the 2004 bi-metallic 20
Rials
that features the rare and endangered
Dragon's Blood Tree. The tree that is found on the island of Sokotra
(Sucotra, Sogotra),
located approximately 200 miles (340km) off the coast of Yemen in the
Indian
Ocean. The sap of the tree has been
harvested for medicine since ancient times. The 10
Rials
features the famous 17th century Shaharah stone bridge. The
32
meter limestone bridge links two mountaintop villages seperated by a
gorge. A government building is on the 5 Rials and a stylized
eagle is on the 1 Riyal. All four coins are Uncirculated.
Item
S-YE-SET4YEMEN 1, 5, 10 & 20 RIALS SET
KM 25-29 1993-2004 UNC.
$9.50
FOR OTHER COINS OF THIS REGION, PLEASE
CHECK OUT:
2010
PALESTINE PATTERN COINS
PRESIDENT ASSAD PUTS
HIMSELF ON SYRIAN
COIN
1800 YEARS OF IRAQ
COINS & CURRENCY
MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC TERRA-COTTA
TOKENS
AFGHANISTAN COIN
& CURRENCY PAGE
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