Catalog
50 Afghanis Sydney Olympiad
| Issuer | Da Afghanistan Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 27 g |
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| Obverse description | The national arms of the Islamic State of Afghanistan occupy the central field, depicting the mihrab of a mosque with a pulpit and two crossed Afghan flags, all set within a wreath of wheat sheaves and enclosed by a crescent open at the top. Arabic inscriptions appear above the central device, with a ribbon bearing additional Arabic text at the base of the wreath. Two hands grasping a sword in saltire appear below the arms. The circumferential legend ISLAMIC STATE OF AFGHANISTAN arcs along the upper periphery in Latin characters, while the denomination 50 AFGHANIS is inscribed at the lower field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin/Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Afghanistan in 1999 was under Taliban control, which made the issuance of Olympic commemorative coinage a peculiar bureaucratic artifact — the Taliban had banned televised sport and most public athletics entirely. These pieces were almost certainly produced for the international collector market rather than domestic circulation, a common practice among issuing authorities that retained nominal coinage rights while exercising little real monetary function.