The International Year of the Child, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly for 1979, prompted a wave of commemorative issues from member states. Iraq's participation came at a peculiar political moment: the Ba'athist government under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr was in its final months, with Saddam Hussein formally assuming the presidency in July 1979, weeks after this coin's nominal issue date.
Struck in .917 gold to a weight placing it squarely in the sovereign-adjacent category, the piece was produced for export and collector markets rather than circulation. Iraqi gold commemoratives of this period are rarely found with post-mint handling damage.
The International Year of the Child, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly for 1979, prompted a wave of commemorative issues from member states. Iraq's participation came at a peculiar political moment: the Ba'athist government under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr was in its final months, with Saddam Hussein formally assuming the presidency in July 1979, weeks after this coin's nominal issue date.
Struck in .917 gold to a weight placing it squarely in the sovereign-adjacent category, the piece was produced for export and collector markets rather than circulation. Iraqi gold commemoratives of this period are rarely found with post-mint handling damage.