Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Benduqi - Moulay 'Abd al-Rahman Fes
| Issuer | Morocco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1854-1859 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Benduqi (10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central raised boss enclosed within a circular incuse ring, surrounded by sprawling Arabic inscriptions in the field radiating outward in a characteristically uneven hammered style. The legends, struck in bold relief, fill the entire flan with the royal titulature and mint name, consistent with Sharifian coinage of the Alaoui dynasty. The flan is irregular and slightly uneven in thickness, typical of hand-struck Moroccan gold coinage of the mid-nineteenth century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central raised boss within a circular incuse ring, mirroring the obverse layout, surrounded by Arabic inscriptions occupying the full field of the flan. The legends record the AH date and additional elements of the royal formula, struck with the characteristic bold, slightly irregular relief of Fes Mint hammered gold issues. The flan edges are uneven and show typical characteristics of hand-struck Moroccan benduqi coinage of the reign of Sultan Moulay Abd al-Rahman. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The benduqi — Morocco's gold coinage derived ultimately from the Venetian ducat tradition — was struck at Fes during Moulay Abd al-Rahman's reign at a moment when the sultan was navigating the aftermath of the Battle of Isly in 1844, where French forces under Bugeaud had routed the Moroccan army. That defeat forced significant diplomatic concessions and rattled the makhzen's financial footing. Gold coinage from Fes in this period shows variable fineness, a known inconsistency tied to disrupted trade flows through the northern ports following increased European commercial pressure.