Where's it from and can you tell the date.

[pubcrawler]

[Gabe]

Good question... and thats a question I dont know the answer of. Sorry.

[Robert]

Looks to me like a 1/40 riyal (or 1 buqsha) from Yemen.

Date looks like 1382 (it's between the circle surrounding the torch and the "ribbon" below it). That corresponds to about 1962!

My Krause says there are "many varieties of date size, inner circle size, calligraphy, etc". Your coin doesn't EXACTLY match the one shown in my book but it's close.

Hope this helps!

[smed]

Krause also says it's dated on both sides. There's no date on the "other" side, so it's almost got to be something else. But what??

I think Chuck's pretty good with that type of writing. Maybe he can translate some of it.

[Robert]

some of them are dated on both sides, some aren't.

There have to be dozens of varieties (or more).

[smed]

From the 2004 Standard Catalog of World Coins, Yemen Arab Republic Y#22 on page 2190:

"Dated both sides; AH1382, AH1383 and AH1384/3 are dated AH1382 on obverse, actual date on reverse; AH1384 and AH1384/284 dated AH1384 on both sides. There are varieties of date size and design."

If you have the 2005 and it reads differently please let me know, because the description for Y22 does NOT describe the coin shown above.

[Robert]

I beg to differ, Smed.

The top photo provided by pubcrawler is rotated 180 degrees in relation to the photo in my 1992 Krause. The Arabic writing at the 2 o'clock position in pubcrawler's top photo corresponds to the Arabic writing at the 7 o'clock position in the Krause photo. The date on this side of the coin is at the 12 o'clock position in pubcrawler's picture but the 6 o'clock position in Krause. It's hard to see in pubcrawler's picture, but it's there between the inner circle and the Arabic ribbon-like writing.

The reverse, you must admit, is virtually identical. The crude hand andtorch, the date at the 6 o'clock position and the ribbon-like Arabic writing at the 9 o'clock position are a match, IMO.

The date fits in with the dates listed in Krause. Also, no other country issued coins in denominations of "1 buqsha". The coin comes in brass or bronze, so the color makes sense.

Allowing for minor varieties (as my book states) in "date size, inner circle size calligraphy, etc.", I stand by my statements about the origin of the coin.

Your turn Smed!


pubcrawler... could you re-scan the coin so that the top photo is oriented correctly (180 degrees away)? You should see the Arabic better. Also, your coin is about 27 mm in diameter, correct?

[smed]

Ok, I see where there could be a date on the obverse.

Every once in a while I'm wrong about a foriegn coin. Every once in a great while... this is probably one of those times.

[joeyuk]

bury