The countermark '65' applied to this piece denotes the Hijri year 1365 (1946 CE), used by the Saudi administration to extend the circulation life of earlier coinage rather than strike an entirely new issue. Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud's treasury relied heavily on countermarked revalidation during the 1940s as wartime and postwar pressures disrupted normal mint operations — the country had no domestic mint of its own and depended on foreign facilities, principally Bombay and later Philadelphia.
KM#23 countermarks are known with positioning inconsistencies, a predictable result of hand-applied punches on circulating stock.
The countermark '65' applied to this piece denotes the Hijri year 1365 (1946 CE), used by the Saudi administration to extend the circulation life of earlier coinage rather than strike an entirely new issue. Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud's treasury relied heavily on countermarked revalidation during the 1940s as wartime and postwar pressures disrupted normal mint operations — the country had no domestic mint of its own and depended on foreign facilities, principally Bombay and later Philadelphia.
KM#23 countermarks are known with positioning inconsistencies, a predictable result of hand-applied punches on circulating stock.