Set Description
This is a set of Moroccan coinage from a wide span of its modern history. The focus of the set is on the period of French influence, but I will be adding some coins from earlier and later periods. The French began their conquest of Algeria (just to the east of Morocco) in 1830, and started to exert influence in Morocco shortly after. Morocco officially became a protectorate of France in 1912, which lasted until 1956. This set will explore the coins, stories, and history of this era. Before AH1299 (1882 AD), Moroccan coinage was either cast for copper coinage, or hammered for the silver and gold coinage. Beginning in AH1299, all coinage was milled.
Moroccan coinage is beautiful, heavily relying on geometric shapes and patterns. The student of Moroccan coinage will notice many similarities in design across a wide range of eras. I greatly enjoy this coinage, and my desire is that high quality pictures of each coin will help you see why.
The “Owner Comments” section of this set is intended to be read sequentially. Each coin will have a description of the coin, but throughout the set my intention is to tell an unfolding story of the history of Morocco, the French Conquest, and the world at the time. I will be describing the main personalities (especially the Sultan), and the series of events which had major consequences. I will also talk about the economy and minting technology, and unique aspects of collecting Moroccan coinage. As I add more coins to the set, I’ll be expanding this story and filling in more details. I hope you find it as interesting as I do!
Set Goals
The primary goal of this set is to collect all of the regular issue Moroccan coinage from the beginning of milled coinage (AH1299 / 1882 AD) until the end of the French Protectorate in 1956. I will endeavor to collect special issues (piedforts and essais) where available. The secondary goal of this set is to share the fascinating history of this country, and tell the story of the French conquest of Morocco. I hope you come to enjoy it as much as I do – or at least pass a merry hour enjoying my collection!
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
BENDUQ AH1217(1803) FES
|
NGC MS 62
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
Morocco
|
2F AH1267 MOROCCO
|
NGC VF 35 BN
|
Moulay 'Abd Al-Rahman; AH 1238 - 1276, 1822 - 1859 AD
Abd Al-Rahman assumed the Sultanate in 1822, after his uncle died. During his reign, the French began a series of incursions into northern Africa which laid the foundation for the conflicts in Morocco. At this time, they were not yet interested in conquering Morocco. It all began in 1830, when the French invaded Algiers in response to a diplomatic insult. The French began conquering Algeria, which had been ruled by the Ottoman empire for hundreds of years. A resistance leader named Abd al-Qadir began fighting against the French conquest, and as he lost more and more territory he was forced to retreat into eastern Morocco. Sultan Abd al-Rahman had been supporting the resistance fighters. The French found this to be unacceptable, so in 1844 the First Franco-Moroccan War was fought. Tangiers and Mogador were bombarded, and a battle was fought as Isly. Because of these losses, Morocco was forced to sign a peace treaty with France, which ended Moroccan support of the resistance fighters and formally recognized the border between Morocco and Algeria.
This coin is a particularly attractive example, well patinated and fairly high grade. NGC gave it a grade of VF-35, although I think numerical grading on pieces like this is often an exercise in futility. Each individual piece is unique, and so gauging its relative wear is often just guesswork. Compared to many of these, this piece has very little wear (you can see the wear on the high points, such as the date and the circle in the center of the obverse.)
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2BEN AH1248(1832) FES
|
NGC AU Details
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
BENDUQ AH1272(1855) FES
|
NGC XF Details
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
BENDUQ AH1247(1831) FES
|
NGC AU 58
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
BENDUQ AH1252(1836) FES
|
NGC MS 61
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
4F AH1287(1870) FES "12887" DATE ERROR
|
NGC VF 30 BN
|
Sidi Mohammed IV; AH 1276 - 1290, 1859 - 1873 AD
After the death of his father, Abd al-Rahman, Sidi Mohammed IV took the Sultanate. Very shortly after taking the throne, Morocco fought and lost the Spanish-Moroccan War. Berber tribes had been conducting raids on the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla, on the northern coast of Morocco. Spaid had been negotiating with Morocco to attempt to increase their territory around these cities, to help make them more defensible. Morocco was refusing – so Spain declared war and landed a large force at Ceuta. This force then captured the important coastal city of Tetouan. As a result of this defeat, Morocco was forced to sign a treaty granting all of Spain’s desires, as well as paying very large reparations (100 million francs). Spain would retain ownership of Tetouan until the payment was made. This was to be financed by giving half of all customs duties to the Spanish (effectively cutting the Moroccan income in half). The British government satisfied this payment by giving a loan to Morocco, but required a portion of customs proceeds to repay the loan. To help offset this, a new series of taxes were imposed on the tribes, leading to difficult times in the kingdom. Mohammed IV gradually receded into academic studies, until his accidental death in 1873.
As you can see from this coin, the crude hand engraved devices of these coins often led to errors. This is known as a “12887” because the 8 is prominently and obviously doubled. These types of errors are popular and garner a premium, although they are still quite available. This example is a high grade, very attractive coin with a dark copper patina. While it may look like the coin is damaged near the top, this is actually quite common on cast coins. When the coin was broken off the casting tree, the sprue is sometimes unpredictable. Sometimes it will leave a prong, sometimes it will take a small piece of the coin with it. So, what might appear to be damage is a natural variation in the minting (casting) process. Again – these were crudely made, so expectations of quality should be low!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
4F AH1289//8 FES
|
NGC XF 40 BN
|
The early copper coinage of Morocco was made of cast bronze. The engraving is crude and the texture of the coin is rough. Yet, these coins have a unique charm. They are inexpensive, and many dates are easily obtainable. Very few are certified because of their low demand and low value. There are a wide range of varieties, because each one was hand engraved. Usually, many coins were cast at the same time – the metal was pored at the top of a trough, to which were attached numerous chambers for each of the coins. Once the metal cooled, the individual coins were broken off the tree. Sometimes, unbroken “trees” with 10 or 12 coins are offered for sale. On the individual cast coins, you can see a protrusion from the edge – this was it’s connection to the cast (on this coin, you can see it at the top). This is known as the “sprue.”
This coin is another date error, this time a 1289/8 (1872 AD). The date side of these cast coins is usually much cruder than the obverse design, and the same is true here. The date on these cast coins (when there is a date present) is in western numerals rather than Arabic script. This particular coin is quite high grade compared to the usual state of this type of coin, and it has a pleasant patinated bronze color. Overall, this is a very nice coin.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
4F AH1289//8 FES
|
NGC AU 58 BN
|
Usually, I try to avoid buying duplicates. There are so many coins that I need for this set that buying multiples of the same coin is an ineffective use of money. However, since this coin is so inexpensive, I made an exception. The date error is cool, and this is an extremely high grade example. This is the highest graded example – although the vast majority of them are not certified. Cast coins don’t really have luster, but undisturbed surfaces do sometimes have a glossy appearance such as seen here. The color is quite pleasing – sometimes, bronze coins which have been cleaned will have a bare orange appearance. However, the dark brown color of this coin indicates that it has not been messed with. This is a great coin!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
Morocco
|
4F AH1288 MOROCCO MARRAKESH
|
NGC AU 50 BN
|
There were many, many mints in Morocco. Krause lists 30 different mints which were used at various periods throughout Morocco’s history. In the pre-French era of hammered and cast coinage, most of the coins were made at either Fes or Marrakesh. The mint’s name is often engraved on the coin – although there are many issues without mint name. On the reverse of the 4 falus coin shown here, the mint is named above the central line. This particular coin was minted in Marrakesh, a large city in the southern region of Morocco.
This particular coin is quite dark, but completely original. The coins from Marrakesh are often cruder than those of Fes. There is very little wear present on this coin, and fully earns its AU-50 grade. Very few of the cast bronze coins survive in this high grade!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
BENDUQ AH1277(1861) FES
|
NGC XF 45
|
Very few gold coins were minted in Morocco. Most of the coinage used was cast bronze, although silver dirhams were also minted. The denomination of gold coin is called the benduqi, and one benduqi was 3.52 grams. There are some gold mines in Morocco, but the production of gold in Morocco is very small.
Mintage records were not kept for coinage of this era, but these coins are quite scarce. Looking through auction appearances, benduqi do not come up for sale often. However, because demand for them is also quite low, these can be obtained for relatively low prices. The present coin, from AH1277 (1861 AD), is one of the rarest. Krause does not list a mintage or values, but calls it “rare.” The date 1277 was unknown to the series until the first one was discovered in 2001 AD (this is the example shown in Krause). I have been able to track down 2 others, such that the total population I am aware of is 3 (accounting for unknown examples, there are probably 5 existing examples in the world). I saw this one come up for auction in a Spanish auction house, and I jumped on it (I paid $750 in 2018). It was raw when I bought it, and subsequently had it certified by NGC.
All of the benduqi I have seen have been very crudely struck, quite often off centered. These coins were hammered, an imprecise method of making coins. Given the small size of the coin, it is even more imprecise. My coin is no exception – weakly struck and off centered. The color is quite pleasing, with an original patina. I am very pleased to own this special little coin!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/4F AH1306(1888) FES
|
NGC MS 63 RB
|
Moulay Al-Hassan; AH 1290 - 1311, 1873 - 1894 AD
We come now to the milled coinage of Morocco. The very first milled coinage of Morocco was a series of silver coins in AH1299 (1882 AD). However, there were some minor copper coins minted in Fes in 1306. Lower denominations are listed first in Krause, and I have been following the arrangement of Krause.
In 1306 (1888 AD), a fascinating series of copper coins was created. These are incredibly rare, and are considered to be patterns for a later issue in 1310. There are no mintage records for these coins, so I really don’t know how many were made – all I know is their relative scarcity in auction appearances. There are 5 denominations in the series (more on that in a future entry). Heritage Auction archives are an incredibly valuable research tool, and there are 9 listed auction appearances total (2 or 3 for each of the denominations, with no record of the highest denomination appearing). NGC’s certified census shows 3 or 4 certified for each denomination (the largest denomination is represented by a single details graded coin). Spink and Stacks show no sales of these coins. Stephen Album, the expert in Islamic coins, lists these are “RR – Seldom available. Collectors may have to wait years to locate one.”
So, my point is, they are rare! I estimate that there are less than 10 examples of each denomination, and they only come up for sale every few years. Lucky me, then, I’ve been able to purchase 5 of them (one of which is a duplicate).
This present coin is the smallest of the series. At 63RB, it is also among the highest graded. The bright red surfaces shine with a semi-reflective luster. The devices are all well struck. This coin might be tiny, but it is impressive!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2F AH1306(1888) FES
|
NGC MS 62 RB
|
This is the next coin in the extremely rare series of pattern issues minted in Fes in AH1306 (1888 AD). Let’s talk about some denominations! Depending on which book you read, you’ll see these listed differently. In Sanchez-Giron, they are listed as “muzunas,” in Lecompte they are listed as “mazounas,” and Krause offers another alternate spelling of “mouzuna” or “mazuna.” I will use the spelling “muzuna” throughout this set. The muzuna had been struck in the AH1100’s (late 1700’s AD), and was at that time a small silver coin valued at one-quarter dirham (the standard silver coin of the time). The muzuna was not in use in 1306 – it would be restored as a minor copper coin in the coinage reform of 1320 (more on that later).
Because there is no value statement on these coins, nobody was really sure exactly what denomination they were. Were they early prototypes of the coinage reform of 1320, and thus we call them muzunas? Or, did they continue the denomination current at the time, the falus? In the early books, they were referred to as muzunas, and thus given the denominations of ½, 1, 2-1/2, 5, and 10 muzunas. New research has revealed that these are not muzunas, and we should actually consider them faluses (recent editions of Krause reflect this new perspective). I’ll explain why these are indeed falus in the next entry!
In no case has this coin ever been referred to as a mitqal – that is an error on NGC’s part. This particular size was called a muzuna. A mitqal was a large silver coin equivalent to 10 Dirhams. (Throughout NGC’s census, you’ll notice several mislabeled coins… mitqals being called muzunas and so forth). However, with the new research, this is more accurately considered a half falus.
This particular coin is a very attractive, flashy coin with the same semi-prooflike fields that the ¼ falus shows. There is plenty of red remaining on this well struck coin. I was pleased to win this one from a Stephen Album auction – in a strange quirk, Album and Heritage each had a nearly full set of the 1306 faluses for sale at the same time! I had to muster some deep cash reserves, but I was able to win 3 of them in January 2018. Lucky me!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
FALUS AH1306(1888) FES
|
NGC MS 63 BN
|
This is my upgraded 1306 Fes Falus, upgrading the 61BN in the previous entry. Oddly enough, I paid $200 less for this one….. coin auctions can be weird sometimes. This is an absolutely beautiful example – the reverse is a delightful mellow reddish, the obverse an attractive brown. The strike is quite strong. You can see all the detail of the textured devices (they remind me of snakeskin).
Fun story about purchasing this coin and my 1306 quarter-falus. These both came up on Heritage in April 2019 as part of the extensive Engelen collection. My mom and I had been planning a trip to Peru and Ecuador for about a year. One of the highlights of our trip was that we would be spending a week in the Amazonian Jungle of Peru, with no internet and no electricity. That just happened to be the week this auction was occurring! So, before we left, I placed a couple of nuclear bids on these coins. I absolutely had to win! There was no chance I could let them slip through my grasp (especially the quarter falus, since I already had the falus and was just upgrading it). I kept watching the auction until it was time to leave and there wasn’t much action (there often isn’t much pre-sale action on Heritage auctions – people wait until they can view the coins in lot viewing before placing strong bids). Into the jungle we went! No electricity. I was nervous. The day of the auction came and it was an amazing day – we went canoeing and saw a family of 5 Giant River Otters, an extremely endangered species. It was a really special day! But with no internet, I had absolutely no idea if I had won, and I was quite nervous. It wasn’t until several days later that we flew to Cusco (in preparation for the amazing Macchu Picchu), and I was able to finally check the auctions. I had won! Hooray. Anyways, both of these coins are now deeply embedded in my collection.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2FAL AH1306(1888) FES
|
NGC MS 61 RB
|
A note on values…. Don’t trust Krause. The Standard Catalogue of World Coins is a really good reference; it is an essential tool for studying most foreign coin sets. However, the values listed are sometimes…. a bit off. For example, Krause lists the value of the 1306 pattern faluses in Uncirculated condition at between $2600 for the 2 falus and $3000 for the quarter falus. However, in my experience these can be obtained for significantly less. The most I paid was $1400 for the half falus. The rest of them I won at auction for between $450 and $700 – a fraction of what Krause suggests they are worth. The problem is, these coins are so rare and sell so infrequently that putting a value on them is nearly impossible. If an auction is well publicized or from a major auction house, there is a chance that it will earn a higher hammer. The highest price I paid, for the 2 falus, also happened to come from a Stephen Album auction. He’s a specialist in Islamic coins, and thus his customer base is going to be more competitive for rare coins like this. The rest of the coins I bought from Heritage, which, while it has a very large customer base, might not be as dedicated to the specialized nature of these coins.
When preparing to buy a rare coin, the price guides are a good start. However, you must then search actual sales (recent sales are best). Heritage Auctions, and several other auction houses, have thorough archives with searchable lists of all previous sales. This is an incredibly valuable tool – while a published book may only update its values once every few years, the auction archives will show you every completed sale (and often, will show unsold lots as well). This advice applies to any coin purchase you may consider – whether it be an incredibly rare Moroccan pattern coin, or an incredibly common date US silver dollar.
As for the coin itself! This is a beautiful coin. The surfaces literally shine, with attractive red poking out around mellow brown. The strike is weak in places, but the larger format allows more detail to fill the nautical anchors and ropes them around the edges. A beautiful, rare coin!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2F AH1310(1893) FES
|
NGC MS 63 BN
|
The falus coinage of 1310 is more common than that of 1306, but it is still by no means common. The 1306 coins are considered "patterns," and 1310 is considered a circulation strike. You will find these coins in circulated condition (some of them quite worn), but they are very scarce. Finding them in a high grade UNC is nearly impossible!
I got very lucky to buy this particular piece. The strike is fairly typical for these issues and shows some weakness. However, the eye appeal is undeniable! Very attractively toned, with flashy semi-prooflike luster.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2FAL AH1310(1893) FES
|
NGC AU 55 BN
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2FAL AH1310(1893) FES
|
NGC AU 55 BN
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
4F AH1310(1893) FES
|
NGC AU 50 BN
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1299(1882) PARIS
|
PCGS MS 66
|
The reign of Hassan was relatively peaceful, although he suffered the consequences of the significant reparations imposed by his predecessor. Much of the coin in the country had been exported to pay these debts, and so a new coinage was required. This coinage was minted in Paris beginning in AH1299. Hassan attempted to reform the country of Morocco, to modernize it and to protect it from the growing colonial pressures. This culminated in the Treaty of Madrid in 1880, signed by France, Germany, Britain, Morocco, and the US. This treaty granted the right of protection to the international powers who had conquered portions of Morocco (such as the Spanish during the Spanish Moroccan War). This agreement was one of the early steps which helped to make Morocco a French protectorate, and set the stage for events to come.
As part of this coinage of AH1299 (1882AD), this half dirham was struck. My coin is a lustrous, very high grade example. Powder blue toning graces the obverse, while the reverse is a steely grey. These are very small coins, but clearly well made. 13.5 million of these were struck, so they are quite widely available.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1310(1893) PARIS
|
NGC MS 66
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1311(1894) PARIS
|
NGC MS 65
|
The coins of Morocco are not terribly popular. They aren’t widely collected. Therefore, they also aren’t widely submitted for Third Party Grading and certification. The graders at NGC and PCGS don’t see them very often. That means that the certification process for these coins is fraught with more hazards than submitting your typical Morgan dollar. NGC grades them well (if you know how to accurately grade a coin, then you can pretty easily grade any coin). They might not be as familiar with the intricate subtleties as a specialist, but they grade them well enough. Instead, the hazards I mention come with odd and sometimes incorrect labels (as I mentioned with my 1306 Fes “mitqal” which they meant muzuna but is now a half falus). Another hazard is figuring out which side of the coin is the obverse….
For example, on these small silver half dirham and dirham coins of Moulay al-Hasan, one side has the date surrounded by text, one side has plain text (in Arabic). Depending on which reference you check, some of them will call one side the obverse, and others will call the other side the obverse. Lecompte and Sanchez-Giron both call the date side the obverse; Krause calls the date side the reverse. Since Krause is the reference that most people looking at this set will have the most access to, I’m going to follow Krause. Now, I’d be happy if the TPGs picked one and called it the obverse and were consistent, but alas, that is not the case. Most of my set is graded by NGC, and they are inconsistent – sometimes the date side is holdered out (that is, facing out – usually the obverse is the front of the slab), but sometimes the date side is the reverse. I will endeavor to be more consistent…
Anyways, the present coin is an attractive ½ Dirham from AH1311 (1893 AD), minted in Paris. After the large issue of 1299, subsequent years fell into a fairly stable mintage of between 1 – 2 million per year, 1309 to 1314. This is still a substantial mintage, but these were not saved in high grades. They were intended to be used. And thus, most of the coins you will find are circulated. Finding these in grades like the present MS-65 is difficult. This coin fully earns the grade, with lusterous, lightly toned surfaces. A beautiful coin!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1313(1896) PARIS
|
NGC MS 66
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1314(1896) MOULAY AL-HASAN I PARIS - DATE AT CENTER
|
NGC MS 61
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
DIRHAM AH1311(1894) PARIS
|
NGC MS 64
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
DIRHAM AH1312(1895) PARIS
|
NGC MS 65
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2.5D AH1299(1882) PARIS
|
NGC MS 66
|
I find the die polish on this coin quite interesting, even though many people don't like it. It also helps give this coin a semi-prooflike appearance - something I'm extremely fond of. The luster on this coin is incredible! This coin is one of many single-finest-known examples in my collection.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2.5D AH1309(1892) PARIS
|
NGC MS 65
|
Many Moroccan coins feature the “Seal of Solomon,” as seen on this coin. While it may seem strange to modern audiences to see a symbol which we today associate with Jewish culture, this symbol has a far more complicated history than most know. The Seal of Solomon can be depicted as a pentagram (5 pointed star) or as a hexagram (6 pointed star as seen here). The hexagram form is also today known as the Star of David. However, the symbol was actually developed by Arabic writers in medieval times, and became important in Renaissance era magic and occultism. Supposedly, the Seal of Solomon gave that wise king the power to command demons and genies. The Seal of Solomon entered the Jewish tradition of Kabbalah in the 1600’s and became important in the mysticism of that sect. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that the Star of David was adopted as a symbol for the Jewish people.
Morocco is also known as the “Empire Cherifien,” and any person considered for Sultan had to prove that they were a direct descendent of the prophet Mohammed. The Sultan only ruled as long as his “baraka,” or “blessing” lasted. A ruler with a stronger baraka would have a stronger following. Because Morocco was a very religious country, the Seal of Solomon became part of the unique power of the Sultan.
Anyways, on to the coin itself! This is a simply stunning 2.5 Dirhams. The grade is lofty, but the eye appeal is what sells this one. Delightful toning graces both sides – orange and light blue on the obverse, more blue and bold reddish colors on the reverse. Luster is strong on both sides. You’ll notice the Seal of Solomon is prominently displayed on the obverse (not the Star of David, as many people incorrectly state). A very nice coin, and one I am proud to own!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2.5D AH1310(1893) PARIS
|
NGC MS 63
|
Unfortunately, this coin just can't compare to the luminous heights of the previous 2 coins. There are quite a few hits and dings that mar the surface. But these are still incredibly hard to find in high grades!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
5D AH1299(1882) PARIS
|
NGC MS 62
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
5D AH1310(1892) PARIS
|
NGC MS 62
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
10D AH1299(1882) PARIS
|
NGC MS 64
|
The year AH1299 (1882 AD) saw the introduction of modern, milled coinage in Morocco. These first series were minted in Paris, as was most of the subsequent silver coinage. Some of the minor copper denominations would be struck in Fes, but only copper coinage. Paris struck more coins for Morocco than any other mint. Other mints used include Berlin, Poissy, Birmingham, and London. The predominance of the Paris mint demonstrates France’s growing influence in the region, and shows how France was gradually taking over the country (I’ll discuss this process in more detail later in the set).
The 1299 dated coins have by far the highest mintages of their respective series. These completely new, standardized, machine made coins would replace the crude hammered coinage current at the time, and so a large quantity was required. Under Sultay Moulay al-Hasan, the half dirham, dirham, 2.5 dirhams, 5 dirhams, and 10 dirhams would be minted (all at Paris). And, because this is a modern mint, there were accurate records kept of mintage numbers! This makes collecting these coins significantly easier!
The 10 Dirham coin of AH1299 (1882 AD) is a giant coin. It weighs more than the US Morgan dollar, and it is a larger coin. It is also a single year type, with a mintage of only 870,000. It isn’t rare, but it isn’t nearly as common as many other coins of this era. Certified populations are generally quite low – in MS-64, there are 4 graded with a single coin higher at 65.
My coin is simply stunning. Many advertisers will claim that their coins have rainbow color – this one really does. The luster makes these colors pop. I think my favorite is the sky blue color around the double-lined Seal of Solomon on the obverse. This gives it a really unique, and very attractive appearance. I bought this coin on Ebay, but after doing a bit of research I found this coin had sold on Heritage a few months earlier. The pictures on Heritage are simply awful! They are dark and gray and underlit…. This coin needs the light to really show you what it has.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
Morocco
|
1/2D AH1313BE MOROCCO
|
NGC MS 63
|
Abd al-Aziz; AH 1311 - 1326, 1894 - 1908 AD
The reign of Abd al-Aziz was troubled and complicated. The Sultan took the throne at the young age of 16, so he was not fully prepared for it. His mother was Georgian (the country, not the state), and so she encouraged her son to take advice from European advisors. However, these advisors had their own agenda – namely, that of making Morocco into a European colony. After the conference in Madrid in 1880, the Europeans grew bolder in their efforts to take over the country.
Abd al-Aziz was fascinated by European culture and technology. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Moroccan Empire was essentially closed to foreigners. There was limited trade, and very few Europeans living in the country. During the reign of his father Hassan, much of the country was opened to Europeans – traders and engineers were welcomed into the country, and many young Moroccans were sent to European technical and military schools. The influence of European advisors was slowly becoming increasingly more important. However, many traditionalists resisted these changes. The friction between the Islamic Moroccans, the Jews, and the Christian Europeans led to rebellions throughout al-Aziz’s reign. During these uprisings, the makzhen (or, Moroccan government) increasingly relied on French arms, training, and assistance in quelling the rebellions.
Coupled with all of this was the lavish expenditures of Abd al-Aziz himself. Due to the reparations forced on Hassan, and the peace treaty agreements with the Spanish, the income of the Moroccan government was significantly reduced. However, Abd al-Aziz spent lavishly. He attempted to reform the financial system of the country by reorganizing the taxes, but much of the money taken in was spent on the Sultan’s personal lifestyle, or on firearms. Many of the arms purchased, however, were antiquated. The Europeans had no intention of selling modern firearms to a nation they had an interest in conquering! The European influence grew in the country, to the resentment of native Moroccans. They rightly deduced that France, Germany, and Spain were interested in splitting the country for themselves.
Throughout the entries for the coins of Abd al-Aziz, we’ll talk in detail about the major events of his reign, how they helped lead the country down the path to the Protectorate, and how these events contributed to the start of the Great War.
This coin, minted in AH1313 (1896 AD) came from Berlin. Relatively few coins were minted in Berlin, but the period from 1313 to 1322 saw the mintage of a few different coin series. They can be easily distinguished from the later coins from Paris by the arrowheads – the Berlin arrowheads point outwards, the Paris arrowhead point inwards (compare this coin with the next coin in the set). These arrowheads are the four elaborate arrowheads on the obverse, and the 5 simple ones on the reverse.
This coin has somewhat lackluster surfaces, but it is still an attractive coin. Not many of these survived, and especially not in high grade. The smooth grey look is appealing, telling me that it is a nice, original coin.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1315(1897) PARIS
|
NGC MS 66
|
References
References are extremely important! You should always buy at least one book about a series before diving too deeply into it. You’ll find that as you progress in a series, you’ll naturally tend to buy a couple of other references as well. For most collectors of foreign (non-US) coins, that first book usually tends to be the Standard Catalogue of World Coins, published by Krause (you’ll also often people refer to it as “Krause”). This enormous book is divided up into several volumes, one for each century. It is not exhaustive, but lists almost every type and major variety, along with pertinent information such as weight, composition, and size. It has photographs for most series, as well as pricing data. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, however, the pricing data is not the most reliable, especially for very rare coins which don’t trade often.
As you get deeper into collecting Moroccan coinage (especially focused on the years of French influence, as I do in this set), there are a few other references which emerge as valuable:
Eustache, Daniel. Corpus des Monnaies Alawites. 3 volumes, 1984, published by the Bank of al-Maghreb in Rabat (the national bank of Morocco). This is by far the most exhaustive treatment of the coinage of this era, and describes the coins of the Alawite dynasty (the current ruling dynasty of Morocco, since 1666). This book goes a bit further back than my collection, but is incredibly important.
Lecompte, Jean. Monnaies et Jetons des Colonies Francaises. Editions Victor Gadoury. This is one volume of a wide ranging series describing the coins of France – this volume focuses on the colonial and protectorate issues, and includes a section on tokens issued in those provinces. While this is more general of a reference than Eustace, it is more in-depth than Krause. A very valuable reference for the sole fact that PCGS (and sometimes NGC) will designate a coin with it’s Lecompte number instead of it’s Krause number. Knowing what the label is referencing will help you figure out what the coin actually is (assuming they got it right….. not always the best assumption).
Sanchez-Giron. Monedas de Marruecos. 3rd edition. The first edition is good, but incomplete. The second edition was never published, as far as I can tell (Eustache published around the time the second edition was supposed to come out, causing Sanchez-Giron to re-evaluate and revise for a 3rd edition.) Eustache is the ultimate scholarly treatment of the subject of Moroccan coins, Krause and Lecompte serve more as a survey of the material; Sanchez-Giron is enjoyable because it is written by a collector, for collectors, from a collector’s perspective. It is quite thorough, and focuses solely on the machine struck coinage. There are also pictures of rare and unique patterns not listed in Krause. The book begins in AH1279 (1879 AD) through the end of the French Protectorate in 1956.
The biggest downside to all of these books is that they are in other languages…. Krause is in English, but there really isn’t much text or description so it isn’t important. Eustache and Lecompte are both in French, and Sanchez-Giron is in Spanish. It makes sense if you think about it – the French influence lends itself to study in that language, and Spain was a chief rival in the Moroccan conquest (and right across the Straights of Gibraltar). However, I would appreciate a detailed look at Moroccan coinage in English! Guess I’ll have to write it myself….
The coin for this entry is a stellar MS-66 example. It is the single highest graded for the date, and fully earns that position. Luster shines across the surface, and gorgeous multicolored toning makes this coin pop, especially on the reverse. You can see, comparing this coin to the Berlin mintage, the arrowheads here face inwards, and are in a different style (they are also at different angles in relation to the Seal of Solomon on both sides). I have chosen to rotate the images to align the Seal of Solomon in the proper orientation, and the devices fall where they may. Krause shows the images differently, but I find this more aesthetically pleasing.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1316(1898) PARIS
|
NGC MS 66
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1317(1899) PARIS
|
PCGS MS 65
|
Dates
This coin was minted in AH317, or 1899 AD. Moroccan coinage is primarily dated using the Hejira (or Hijra) calendar. I will give the corresponding Gregorian dates throughout the descriptions in this set. The Hejira calendar is a lunar calendar used by Muslim countries for determining the dates of important religious festivals. Because it is a lunar calendar, it does not directly correspond to the solar calendar familiar to Western culture. A lunar calendar consists of 354 or 355 days. Most countries do still use the Gregorian calendar for official functions (and so you will note that many of the later coinages in this set are dual dated, with both the Hejira and Gregorian dates).
The Gregorian calendar commonly in use in Western countries is based on the date of Jesus’ birth (hence the abbreviation AD – Anno Domini in Latin, or, In the Year of Our Lord.) The Hejira calendar, likewise, is based on an important event in Islamic history – the first year is regarded as the year in which the prophet Mohammed and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina and established the first Islamic community. This event is known as the “Hijra,” and thus dates in this calendar are denoted AH – Anno Hegirae in Latin, or, In the Year of the Hijra. The Hijra occurred in 622 AD.
The current coin is an extremely lustrous, well struck example. The mint at Paris was quite technologically advanced, and capable of making some of the finest coinage in the world. This example is no exception. There is a minor water spot on the obverse which impairs the eye appeal slightly, but overall the coin is quite appealing. It is also very high grade compared to most of its peers!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
1/2D AH1319(1901) PARIS
|
NGC MS 66
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
DIRHAM AH1313(1896) BERLIN
|
NGC MS 64
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
DIRHAM AH1316(1898) PARIS
|
NGC MS 64
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2.5D AH1314(1896) ABD AL-AZIZ PARIS - STAR AT CENTER
|
NGC MS 65
|
For the most part, Moroccan coins have not been cleaned or altered to nearly the same extent as US coins. These coins are generally not very popular, and even coins with low mintages have low values. For example, this present coin has a mintage of only 340,000; I was able to buy this coin in 65 (with only 2 graded higher in 66) for a mere $200. Thus, these coins usually aren’t worth a coin doctors time and effort to clean, polish, artificially tone, or otherwise alter them. More common are contemporary counterfeits, meant to pass as currency at the time they were made (modern counterfeits, such as the Chinese plaguing the US market) are virtually unknown.
All that being said, a collector must be able to distinguish cleaned or altered coins. I’ll offer this one as an example – it has been dipped. “Dipping” a coin means to submerge it in an acidic solution to remove the surface layer (either something stuck on the coin, or dark heavy toning on the coin). Dipping is widely accepted in coin collecting, although some are opposed to it. Dipping may sometimes improve the appearance of the coin, although sometimes it may leave a dull, lusterless coin behind. Luckily, the luster on this particular coin is extremely strong. Dipping sometimes leaves evidence behind, however.
On this coin, notice the dark specks scattered across the coin. This is a sign that this coin had thick, heavy toning that was removed by a dip. The dip wasn’t able to remove all of the toning, and so these specks were left behind. The other thing to point out is the speckled orange area at the top of the reverse. This orange color, especially when seen with this spotty pattern, is evidence of an improper rinse after the dip. When the dip is performed, the coin must be rinsed in distilled water to remove all of the acidic solution from the surface, leaving behind a nice clean coin. If the dip residue is left on the coin, it can harm the coin or it may tone with this orange color. Between the two identifiers (the speckled appearance and the orangey area), it is clear that this coin has been dipped.
However, luckily for me, the luster of this piece has not been significantly impeded. It is still extremely lustrous, and shines in the light. The strike is good, and the eye appeal is enhanced by the luster. It has very few contact marks, and fully earns the 65 grade!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2.5D AH1315(1897) PARIS
|
NGC MS 64
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2.5D AH1316(1898) PARIS
|
NGC MS 65
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
5D AH1314(1896) ABD AL-AZIZ PARIS - STAR AT CENTER
|
NGC MS 62
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
MUZUNA AH1320(1902) BIRMINGHAM
|
NGC MS 64 BN
|
Reform Coinage
In AH1320 (1902 AD), Abd al-Aziz began a program to reform the coinage of Morocco. He devalued the currency by lowering the weight standards. Previously, the 10 Dirham coin had weighed 29.116g, the new coinage only weighed 25g. Remember, at this time in history, the value of a coin was based on the metal content of that coin. Money was the actual metal of the coin. By reducing the weight of the coin, the Sultan was able to create more coins for the same amount of money. This is effectively inflating the currency, the advantages or disadvantages of this I’ll leave to an economist.
The present coin is a small copper coin minted in Birmingham, England. It is a small little coin, smaller than a US penny. However, it is quite high grade, with luster shining over the dark brown surfaces. The Birminham mint produced high quality coins, as can be seen from this example.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
MUZUNA AH1321(1903) BIRMINGHAM
|
NGC MS 64 BN
|
As we approach the significant events that led to Morocco becoming a French Protectorate, let’s set the stage. All the world’s a stage, and all the great powers merely players. They have their entrances and their exits, and each in his time moves the world closer to the Great War (to paraphrase Shakespeare).
Around 1900, there were 8 great powers. Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States. Each of these exerted considerable influence both in their own region, and around the world. Smaller powers often consulted with the great powers before taking international action – and the smaller powers often relied on treaties with the great powers for their protection. The Ottoman Empire was also still largely influential, but by 1900 the Ottoman empire was in decline and could no longer be considered a great power (the importance of the Ottoman empire should not be underestimated, however, as the death throes of this once great empire contributed to the events leading to the Great War).
Throughout much of the 19th century, the great powers struggled with each other for increased influence and territory. A long series of treaties and wars ensued as each power jostled to pre-eminence in Africa and Asia. These struggles for more power led France to invade Algeria in 1830, and led to France’s desire for Morocco (just to give the most apropos example for this collection).
Moving now to the present coin, the AH1321 coinage of Birmingham is, across all denominations, harder to find in great condition than the 1320 coinage. For example, the AH1320 muzuna had a mintage of 3 million, but 1321 was only 900,000. A similar pattern can be found across all denominations.
This particular coin is the single highest graded for the date. While it is designated as BN (brown), there are quite a few traces of red peeking out in hidden areas. The strike isn’t quite as strong as my 1320, but the luster is beautiful!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2M AH1320(1902) BIRMINGHAM
|
NGC MS 62 BN
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2M AH1321(1903) BIRMINGHAM
|
NGC MS 65 BN
|
Continuing to set the world stage around 1900, let’s look at Britain’s foreign policy. Throughout the 19th century, Britain practiced “splendid isolation.” They avoided lasting alliances with other powers, and thus avoided becoming entangled in the many continental wars. Britain sought to maintain its trade routes, and would defend itself as necessary to protects its interests and colonies. However, as the Foreign Secretary Lord Derby stated in 1866, “It is the duty of the Government of this country, placed as it is with regard to geographical position, to keep itself upon terms of goodwill with all surrounding nations, but not to entangle itself with any single or monopolising alliance with any one of them; above all to endeavour not to interfere needlessly and vexatiously with the internal affairs of any foreign country.”
This policy lasted until 1902. In 1902, Britain signed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, promising mutual defence if either country was attacked by 2 or more other countries. This treaty had significant impacts for the next 20 years. Also in 1902, France signed a similar pact with Russia. In 1904, Russia and Japan fought the Russo-Japanese War over influence in Manchuria and Korea. Russia was seeking warm water ports on the Pacific coast, and Japan didn’t want to lose influence in the area. Because of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, France was unwilling to declare war on Japan, because then Britain would have declared war on France. What a tangled web of alliances!
The most significant result of the end of the splendid isolation was the Entente Cordiale. This was an agreement between Britain and France, signed in 1904. For a thousand years, the two countries had been either at war or uneasy truce – numerous times, they had invaded and conquered parts of each other. With the Entente, this came to an end and a friendship began to grow between the two powers. Significant agreements between the two countries were made, including a recognition of the power’s colonial interests. France agree to recognize Britain’s control of Egypt, and Britain recognized French control of Morocco (although this was not formalized yet, it was basically in control). Numerous other colonial interests were recognized, beyond the scope of this discussion. Germany, in particular, was displeased with this Entente, because for many decades it had relied on stirring up the antagonism between France and Britain to further Germany’s interests. (more to come….)
This is a beautiful coin! Well made (as you would expect from Birmingham), and extremely high grade compared to most of the examples you’ll find. The luster is not strong, but it is present (especially on the reverse). While this coin is designated brown, there is significant red remaining. The reverse of this coin is one of the nicest I’ve seen!
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
2M AH1320(1902) FES
|
NGC XF 40 BN
|
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
Morocco
|
5M AH1320BI MOROCCO
|
NGC MS 63 RB
|
By 1905, there were two major sets of treaties which governed European and colonial affairs. The first was called the Triple Alliance – an agreement between Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy. The second was the Triple Entente, between Britain, France, and Russia (although relations between France and Russia had been strained by the Russo-Japanese war, and the fact that France had not aided Russia. If they had, the Great War may have begun in 1904….) These major alliances were supported by a host of other treaties and agreements between the major powers, as well as with many smaller powers. Since Germany was allied against France, they definitely had no interest in seeing the Entente grow in influence. These systems of alliances was one of the major contributors to the Great War – and the events in Morocco in 1905 helped push them there.
Beautifully well made, lustrous, and quite a bit of cherry red copper surfaces. What more could you possible want from this coin? I personally feel this coin is a bit undergraded and should actually be a 64.
|
|
|
View Coin
| |
MOROCCO
|
5M AH1321(1903) BIRMINGHAM
|
PCGS MS 64 Red Brown
|
Ebay can be a great place to shop. Sometimes, you can get amazing deals on really hard to find coins. You just have to be patient, and a bit lucky.
On this coin, I got lucky!
|
|
 | Loading… |
|
|