5 Pounds 20th Anniversary of the October War Victory

Egypt's October War — the 1973 crossing of the Suez Canal — carried enormous political weight domestically, reframing the military humiliation of 1967 and providing Sadat's government with a narrative of restored national dignity. This commemorative was issued on the twentieth anniversary, by which point Sadat himself had been dead for over a decade, assassinated in 1981. The .720 fine silver content places it within Egypt's mid-tier commemorative program of the period — serviceable bullion value without the expense of the finer issues struck for export markets.