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1/2 Saidi Rial - Said
| Issuer | Sultanate of Muscat and Oman |
|---|---|
| Year | 1961-1962 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by the national emblem of Muscat and Oman: two crossed khanjar daggers overlaid by a traditional Omani sword (saif), all rendered in fine relief. The Arabic legend naming Sultan Sa'id bin Taimur, Sultan of Masqat and Oman, curves around the upper and lower periphery in flowing Naskh script. The design is contained within a distinctive beaded or denticulated inner border running the full circumference of the coin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
The Saidi rial series was introduced under Sultan Said bin Taimur to replace the earlier Maria Theresa thaler as the dominant trade currency of Oman — a coin that had circulated across the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula for nearly two centuries simply because merchants trusted its consistent silver content. Said's new coinage was deliberately pegged to the Indian rupee at a fixed rate, reflecting the Indian currency's deep entrenchment in Omani commercial life at the time.
The .500 fineness was a practical concession to mint economics rather than a debasement — it matched the silver standard then common to regional fractional coinage. Mintage figures for this short two-year issue were modest, and the series was entirely superseded when Said's son, Qaboos, deposed him in the 1970 palace coup and overhauled the currency system.