Afghanistan AH 1323 1/2 rupee
This specimen was lot 3553 in Stephen Album sale 50 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $78. The catalog description[1] noted, "AFGHANISTAN: Habibullah, 1901-1919, AR 1/2 rupee (qiran), AH1323, date AH1323 divided // denomination yek qiran with the date 1320 above and crossed cannons & swords below the mosque, XF, ex Hakim Hamidi Collection." Milled coinage was introduced to Afghanistan during the reign of Abdur Rahman (1880-1901). This type was struck AH 1323-1327. The frozen date "١٣٢٠" is above the mosque but the actual date "١٣٢٣" is on the lower part of the obverse. Each die was handmade, so many varieties exist.
Recorded mintage: unknown but common.
Specification: 4.65 g, 0.900 fine silver, 19 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-844, Hamidi-15C.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 50, featuring selections from the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection, the Hakim Hamidi Collection, the Almer H. Orr III Collection and the Solar Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
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