Catalog
2 1/2 Riyal - Barghash
| Issuer | Zanzibar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882 |
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| Value | 21/2 Riyal (2.5 ZZY) |
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| Obverse description | The entire field is occupied by a multi-line Arabic inscription filling the coin from rim to rim, reading the name and titles of Sultan Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar. The text is arranged in five horizontal lines across the polished gold field, rendered in bold, deeply incuse script. Small floral or foliate ornaments separate key lines of text, providing decorative punctuation within the composition. The legend is enclosed by a continuous beaded border running along the full circumference of the coin. |
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| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Barghash bin Said ruled Zanzibar from 1870 until his death in 1888, and his coinage program was modest by any measure — this gold issue among the rarest pieces to emerge from the sultanate. The 2½ Riyal denomination is an unusual fractional unit with no obvious parallel in the broader Indian Ocean monetary sphere Zanzibar otherwise traded within.
Fr#2 confirms its place in Friedberg's gold census, and surviving examples are rarely encountered at auction.