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AFGHANISTAN
COIN & CURRENCY PAGE
1800
YEARS OF IRAQ COINS & CURRENCY
The
Mamlukes ruled an area including Syria, much of the Holy land and
Egypt from 1250 to 1517AD. The Mamlukes were slaves purchased
as
boys, usually from Russia.
Eventually
the
slaves overthrew their masters, the Ayyubids,
and
established their own dynasty. However they continued to
import
slaves,
and usually choose their leaders from the ranks of the slaves, thus
their
ruler was also a slave! Thus the Mamlukes are known as the
"Slave-Kings".
We offer three coins from these unusual monarchs.
The first
is a gold Ashrafi of Qansuh II struck in Cairo, Egypt between 1501 and
1516AD. Qansuh was defeated by Ottoman Sultan Selem I in
1516AD,
leading to a complete collapse of the Mamluk Dynasty the following
year. We also offer a Mamluk silver 1 Dirham and
silver
fractional Dirham. The Fractional Dirham was struck
using
the dies for the larger 1 Dirham coin, even though the blank is less
than half the size of the die! The Fractional Dirham tend to
be
square or rectangular, however they come in a variety
of shapes as the mint workers were paid on how many they produced, not
on
how the coins looked. 
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). 
REZA SHAH SILVER CROWN OF PERSIA
SILVER COIN OF SULEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT
Suleyman the Magnificent ruled
the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566. A powerful monarch, he expanded
his empire and nearly conquered much of Europe. Though
Suleyman
may have been magnificent, his coins tended to be small and
crude. This small silver Maydin of Suleyman is dated AH926 which corresponds to 1520AD .
EGYPTIAN
COIN SET
PRESIDENT ASSAD PUTS HIMSELF
ON SYRIAN COIN
ISRAEL’S
FIRST COMMEMORATIVE COINS
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1/2 LIRE 1962 - FESTIVAL OF PURIMThe 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 by 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 LIGHTThe 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 KIBBUTZThis 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 and only 4702 pieces in Proof.
Item IL-DEG-U
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1960 DEGANYA KM28 UNC. $4.00
Item
IL-DEG-PF
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1960 DEGANYA KM28 PROOF $20.00
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1 LIRA 1960 - HENRIETTA SZOLDHenrietta 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. $10.00
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 HEROThe 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 LAMPThe 1962 Lira features a 17th century Hanukkah lamp from Italy. Its mintage is only 9560 in Uncirculated and 5941 in Proof.Item
IL-ITALY-U
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1962 ITALIAN HANUKKAH LAMP KM38 UNC. $11.00
Item IL-ITALY-PF
ISRAEL 1 LIRA 1962 ITALIAN HANUKKAH LAMP KM38 PROOF $19.50
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1 LIRA 1963 - NORTH AFRICAN HANUKKAH LAMPThe 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 COINSSet includes 1 Lira 1958 Law is Light, 1960 Deganya, 1960 Henrietta Szold, 1961 Hero, 1962 Italian Lamp, and 1963 North African Lamp, all in Uncirculated condition and the 1/2 Lira 1962 Purim in Proof . Buy the set and save!Item
IL-SETCOM
SET OF ALL 7 OF THE ABOVE ISRAEL COMMEMORATIVE COINS,
1958-1963
$45.00
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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. OFFICIAL ISRAEL MINT SETS BELOW ISSUE PRICECOINS OF PONTIUS PILATEWIDOW'S MITE FROM THE TIME OF
CHRIST
THE (ALMOST) PERFECT CRIME
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.
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. 
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. AFGHANISTAN COIN
& CURRENCY PAGE 1800 YEARS OF IRAQ
COINS & CURRENCY SILVER COIN CELEBRATES KUWAITS
15th ANNIVERSARY OF
INDEPENDENCEMEDIEVAL ISLAMIC TERRA-COTTA
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