Some Iranian 20 Rial pieces say "F.A.O.", and some do not. Does it stand for "Food and Agriculture Organization" or something completely different? I note there seem to be complete FAO coin collections from the Middle East and Africa on sale.
The other way around. Nations minted them for the FAO program, and the sales to collectors were to be the revenue stream to fund the efforts to support agriculture in underdeveloped regions. Generally, FAO coins are commemoratives. However, governments did issue circulating coins to bring attention to the program within their nation. It is pretty much the same as with the Olympics: the IOC does not mint coins for sovereignties; rather, countries issue them for the Olympics.
