AFGHANISTAN COINS & BANKNOTES
A numismatic review of a troubled land.
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COINS OF THE
KIDARITES
The
Kidarites were nomadic Huns that conquered the
Kushano-Sassanians
sometime around 350AD. They are sometime referred to as the
“Red Huns”. Very little is known about them. They
controlled an area that now is made up of parts of northern
Afghanistan, northern
Pakistan,
as well as
parts of
Tajikistan,
Uzabkistan and
Turkmenistan. . They ruled the region until about 500AD.
The Kidarites appear to have been a confederacy of warlords, many of
whom issued coins. Not having had a tradition of coinage,
they copied the basic designs and fabric of the coins they found in
circulation without an apparent understanding of the meaning of the
designs. Some of the coins are modeled on Sassanian or
Kushano-Sassanian
coins depicting the bust of the king and a fire
altar. Other coins are modeled after Kushan or other Indian
coins and feature various deities or a standing king. There is a wide
variety of extremely crude and primitive Kidarite copper
coins. These scarce, crude Kidarite copper coins are unusual
pieces from a little know Hunnic tribe.
Item
KIDARx1
KIDARITE COPPER UNIT, circa 350-500AD, CRUDE $5.00
LAST
COINS OF THE LAST KING OF AFGHANISTAN
Mohammed Zahir Shah ascended to the throne of Afghanistan in 1933
when he was only sixteen years old. His long reign
was
noted for modernization, peace and
stability in what was, and again is, a war-torn nation. He
managed to maintain neutrality during World War II. During
the Cold War he received aid and support from both the United States
and the Soviet Union. In 1973 he was overthrown by his cousin
Mohammed Daud Khan who attempted
to establish a republic. His last coins were these 1, 2 and 5 Afghani
dated SH1340 (1961AD). The 5 Afghani was highly controversial
as it featured his portrait. It was the first Afghan coin to feature a
monarch's image. Because Islam discourages the use of images of people,
the coin was poorly received and many were mutilated or
destroyed. A statue of an eagle with outstretched wings is on
the 2 Afghani. Three ears of wheat are on the 1
Afghani. All three coins are struck in nickel-clad steel and
feature the denomination on the reverse.
Item
AF-SET61 AFGHANISTAN 1, 2 & 5 AFGHANI
SH1340 (1961)
KM953-955 AU-UNC.
$4.50
BANKNOTES
FROM SOVIET OCCUPIED & TALIBAN AFGHANISTAN
This
set of 4 attractive Afghanistan banknotes were introduced in 1978
during the Soviets occupation of Afghanistan. The notes
continued
to be printed until about 1991 for the Taliban and various
warlords. The set includes the 50, 100 and 500 and 1000
Afghani
notes in crisp uncirculated condition. The 50 Afghani
pictures
the Dar-al-Aman palace in Kabul. The 100 Afghani depicts a
farmer
and the Naghlu hydroelectric dam on the Kabul river. The 500
Afghani pictures a group of horsemen playing Buzkashi. Buzkashi is the
national sport of Afghanistan. It is somewhat similar to
polo,
but is played with goat or calf carcass and has few, if any, rules. The
1000 Afghani depicts a flock of birds at the Mazar-e-Sharif Mosque
(Noble shrine) on one side. The other side pictures the
monument
to fallen soldiers and the Victory Arch in Paghman Gardens near
Kabul. They were built to commemorate Afghan victory over the
British in 1919, heavily damaged during the Soviet-Afghanistan war in
the 1980's and have since been restored. The notes all bear the seal of
the Afghanistan bank on the front. The seal includes an image of an
ancient Greco-Bactrian Tetradrachm minted circa 171-179BC, two
cornucopias spilling out coins and the year the bank was founded
(1939). The notes are a reminder of the recent troubled and
violent history of Afghanistan.
Item
PM-AF-SET4 AFGHANISTAN 4 NOTE SET 50 - 1000
AFGHANI (1978-1991) UNC. $5.00
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The
Kidarites were nomadic Huns that conquered the Kushano-Sassanians
sometime around 350AD. They are sometime referred to as the
“Red Huns”. Very little is known about them. They
controlled an area that now is made up of parts of northern
Afghanistan, northern Pakistan,
as well as
parts of Tajikistan, Uzabkistan and
Turkmenistan. . They ruled the region until about 500AD.
The Kidarites appear to have been a confederacy of warlords, many of
whom issued coins. Not having had a tradition of coinage,
they copied the basic designs and fabric of the coins they found in
circulation without an apparent understanding of the meaning of the
designs. Some of the coins are modeled on Sassanian or Kushano-Sassanian
coins depicting the bust of the king and a fire
altar. Other coins are modeled after Kushan or other Indian
coins and feature various deities or a standing king. There is a wide
variety of extremely crude and primitive Kidarite copper
coins. These scarce, crude Kidarite copper coins are unusual
pieces from a little know Hunnic tribe. 
