Iraq 1955 100 fils
The first specimen was lot 25164 in Heritage sale 3015 (Long Beach, September 2011), where it sold for $1,495. The catalog description[1] noted, "Faisal II 100 Fils 1955, toned VF, an attractive original coin. Very few business strikes were released to circulation and most surviving examples of this rare type are Proof from the set issued in 1955." The second specimen was lot 1379 in Stephen Album sale 38 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2020), where it sold for $4,462.50. The catalog description[2] noted, "IRAQ: Republic, AV 100 dinars, 1982/AH1402, Non-aligned Nations Conference in Baghdad, surface hairlines as usual, Proof." A similar issue of 1953 (KM 115) is much more available and worn specimens are readily found in dealer junk boxes. 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.
Recorded mintage: 1,000,000 (mostly melted).
Specification: 10 g, 0.500 fine silver, .289 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: KM 118.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach and Warren Tucker, Heritage World Coin Auction 3015, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2011.
- [2]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 38, featuring the Dabestani Collection of Persian Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
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