Sharjah's 1970 gold commemorative series was issued just one year before the emirate joined the United Arab Emirates federation, during a period when Ruler Sheikh Khalid III was striking deals with foreign mints and bullion brokers to produce collector coins for the international numismatic market. These pieces had essentially no domestic monetary function — Sharjah's population at the time was measured in thousands, not millions. The Simon Bolívar subject, with no conceivable connection to the Persian Gulf, was chosen purely for export appeal to South American collectors.
Struck at the Franklin Mint under contract, the series drew criticism for the opportunistic nature of such issues, contributing to broader skepticism about "fantasy" emirate coinage from this era.
Sharjah's 1970 gold commemorative series was issued just one year before the emirate joined the United Arab Emirates federation, during a period when Ruler Sheikh Khalid III was striking deals with foreign mints and bullion brokers to produce collector coins for the international numismatic market. These pieces had essentially no domestic monetary function — Sharjah's population at the time was measured in thousands, not millions. The Simon Bolívar subject, with no conceivable connection to the Persian Gulf, was chosen purely for export appeal to South American collectors.
Struck at the Franklin Mint under contract, the series drew criticism for the opportunistic nature of such issues, contributing to broader skepticism about "fantasy" emirate coinage from this era.