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 Hazrat
| Issuer | Morocco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1826-1853 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Dense field of bold, flowing Arabic script arranged in an irregular, organically hammered composition characteristic of Moroccan Sharifian gold coinage. The legends, struck in high relief with irregular flan contours, occupy the entire coin surface without a formal border, displaying the characteristic crude yet expressive style of Fes Hazrat mint issues. Individual letter forms are large and deeply impressed, overlapping at points due to the hand-hammered striking technique. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| 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 was Morocco's principal gold denomination under the 'Alawi sultans, struck at Fes as the empire's primary mint city — "Hazrat" denoting the imperial capital in mint inscriptions. Moulay 'Abd al-Rahman's reign coincided with mounting European commercial pressure and the aftermath of the 1844 Battle of Isly, where French forces under Bugeaud decisively defeated the Moroccan army. The fiscal strain that followed made consistent gold coinage politically important even as the treasury was stretched.
Fes production of this type is confirmed as C#150.2, distinct from the Marrakesh issue. Fr#3 placement reflects its recognized scarcity among Western collectors relative to later 'Alawi gold.