500 Afghanis FAO

Issued under the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan government, this piece was struck as part of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) coin program — a United Nations initiative that persuaded member states to produce commemorative issues promoting food security themes. By 1981, Afghanistan was two years into the Soviet invasion, and the Kabul government's participation in an internationally sponsored numismatic program was as much about projecting legitimacy as it was about agricultural advocacy.