Iraq 1933 4 fils
This specimen was lot 1333 in Stephen Album sale 39 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $900. The catalog description[1] noted, "IRAQ: Faisal I, 1921-1933, nickel 4 fils, 1933/AH1352, two-year type, NGC graded MS61." Iraq was for centuries a province of the Ottoman Empire but was coveted by the British for her oil deposits in the aftermath of World War One. Made a mandate of the League of Nations in 1922, a puppet kingdom was set up with a branch of the Hashemite clan as king. The kingdom lasted until Faisal II's overthrow in 1958 by an army junta which included Saddam Hussein. This two year type is common tho the proofs are rare. It was part of a series that included one, two, four, ten, twenty, fifty fils and one riyal.
Recorded mintage: 6,500,000 plus proofs.
Specification: 4 g, copper-nickel, 21 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-97.
- 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 39, featuring the John Sylvester, Jr., Collection of Annamese Medals and Orders, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
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