Iraq 1959 500 fils
This specimen was lot 2679 in Sincona sale 23 (Zürich, May 2015), where it sold for 210 CHF (about US$264 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"IRAQ, Republik, 500 Fils 1959. Selten, nur 500 Exemplare hergestellt. FDC. (republic of Iraq, 500 fils of 1959, rare, uncirculated.)"
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 coin honoring Gen. Abdul Karim Kassem is consigned to the Unusual World Coins and may not have been officially issued. The 500,000 mintage given therein seems dubious.
Recorded mintage: 500,000 per the SCWC.
Specification: 45 g, 0.500 fine silver, 45 mm diameter, this specimen 37.56 g.
Catalog reference: KM M1.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Ruedi Kunzmann and Arne Kirsch, Numismatic Coins & Medals, Auction 23, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2015.
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