Catalog
1 Saidi Rial - Said
| Issuer | Sultanate of Muscat and Oman |
|---|---|
| Year | 1959 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the national emblem of Muscat and Oman: two crossed khanjar daggers superimposed over two crossed swords, all rendered in fine relief. A circular Arabic legend surrounds the central device, reading the ruler's name and title. The broad outer border is decorated with an alternating frieze of date palms and traditional dhow sailing vessels, separated by a beaded inner circle from the central design, lending the coin a distinctly ornate and regional character. |
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| Reverse description | The open field bears the large Eastern Arabic numeral '١' (1) prominently centered, with the Hijri date '١٣٧٨' (1378) displayed in large Eastern Arabic numerals below. A circular Arabic legend encircles the field, naming the denomination and the Sa'idi Sultanate. The design is framed by a beaded inner circle and an outer border of brick-pattern milling, with small renditions of the national emblem flanking the legend at left and right. |
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| Additional information |
The Saidi Rial was introduced in 1959 specifically to replace the Maria Theresa Thaler, which had circulated in Oman and across the Gulf for nearly two centuries — not as official policy but by sheer mercantile inertia. Sultan Said bin Taimur's government finally pushed through a formal national coinage partly to assert fiscal control over trade routes increasingly complicated by emerging oil revenues. The MTT's .833 silver fineness was deliberately matched to ease the transition without disrupting merchant accounting.
This was among the last silver rials struck before the denomination was decimalized under Qaboos in 1970.