5 Pounds Abdel Halim Hafez

Abdel Halim Hafez died in 1977 from complications of bilharzia, a parasitic disease he had contracted as a child and publicly acknowledged throughout his life — an unusual candor that deepened his image as a figure of suffering and resilience in the Arab world. This commemorative was issued nearly two decades after his death, part of a broader Egyptian program in the 1990s honoring cultural figures through silver coinage. The .720 fineness places it below sterling, consistent with Egypt's commemorative issues of the period rather than its earlier higher-purity series.