The Poe Collection of Moroccan Coinage

Owner Comments:

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.