Turkey's FAO coinage program ran through the 1970s as part of a broader United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization initiative encouraging member states to mint coins with agricultural themes and direct a portion of proceeds toward rural development programs. The 1978 date places this piece squarely in the period of severe political instability that preceded the 1980 military coup — a time when Turkey's economy was strained by oil shocks, rampant inflation, and balance-of-payments crises that would ultimately render the lira nearly worthless within a few years.
Stainless steel was the practical choice given that base metal costs had to be kept below face value.
Turkey's FAO coinage program ran through the 1970s as part of a broader United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization initiative encouraging member states to mint coins with agricultural themes and direct a portion of proceeds toward rural development programs. The 1978 date places this piece squarely in the period of severe political instability that preceded the 1980 military coup — a time when Turkey's economy was strained by oil shocks, rampant inflation, and balance-of-payments crises that would ultimately render the lira nearly worthless within a few years.
Stainless steel was the practical choice given that base metal costs had to be kept below face value.