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1/2 Ahmadi Riyal / 2 1/2 Lira - Ahmad Gold, mint reads outward
| Issuer | Imamate of Yemen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1958-1962 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | The reverse is fully epigraphic, featuring the Islamic declaration of faith (Shahada) prominently inscribed in flowing Arabic calligraphy within a central oval or circular cartouche: 'There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God' (la ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah). Below the Shahada appears the name 'Ahmad' in a single line. The outer marginal legend, running around the circumference of the coin, records the denomination as 'Nisf Riyal Ahmadi' (Half Ahmadi Riyal) and its equivalent value of '2½ Lira.' The Hijri date appears at the lower margin, with the example shown reading AH 1380. The field is plain and the design is bordered by a raised rim, the overall composition being entirely consistent with the epigraphic style characteristic of Yemeni Imamate gold coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Ahmad bin Yahya ruled the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen with deliberate isolation from outside monetary systems, yet paradoxically maintained gold coinage denominated in both Ahmadi Riyals and Maria Theresa Lira equivalents — a dual nomenclature reflecting the country's uneasy coexistence between its own currency and the Austrian trade dollar that had penetrated Arabian Peninsula commerce for over a century. The G16.2 variety is distinguished from G16.1 solely by the orientation of the mint name in the legend, reading outward rather than inward — a die modification whose precise administrative origin is undocumented.
Ahmad died in September 1962. His son Muhammad al-Badr was deposed by a military coup within a week, ending the Imamate entirely and with it any further gold coinage of this type.