Jordan 1949 fil
This specimen was lot 71174 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, February 2020), where it sold for $90. The catalog description[1] noted, "JORDAN. Fil, AH 1368 (1949). NGC MS-65 Red. A lustrous little gem with red to orange-red patina." This type was suspended and replaced by KM 2 soon after its introduction when it was discovered that the denomination should have been spelled "fils". The later KM 8 was struck 1955-65.
Jordan, long a part of the Ottoman Empire, was seized by the British at the end of World War One but then granted independence under a local monarchy in 1946. King Hussein (r. 1951-99) proved to be an adroit politician who managed to maneuver between Israeli armed strength and the urgings of his Arab neighbors to attack Israel. Forced to participate in the wars of 1948, 1956 and 1967 (losing all three), the king stood aside when Sadat attacked Israel once again in 1973. This specimen was struck for Jordan by the London mint, which issued this type along with a five, ten and twenty fils.
Recorded mintage: 350,000 + 25 proofs.
Specification: 3 g, bronze, 18 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The February 2020 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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