Iraq 1953 20 fils
This specimen was lot 1378 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $3,840. The catalog description[1] noted, "IRAQ. 20 Fils, AH 1372/1953. London Mint. Faisal II. PCGS PROOF-66. This entrancing silver proof gives mirrored fields and a slightly speckled tone over the reflective surfaces. Sure to be hotly contested when this piece crosses the auction block, as the proof emission was quite RARE." 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 type was struck 1953 only and was accompanied by one fils (KM 109), 2 fils (KM 110), 4 fils (KM 111), 10 fils (KM 112), 50 fils (KM 114) and 100 fils (KM 115).
Recorded mintage: 250,000 + 200 proofs.
Specification: 3.60 g, 0.500 fine silver, 20.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-113.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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