I know a little bit about it, it was given to me by my grandfather (he lives in Iraq), and it was given to him by the king of Iraq. It's supposed to be for a bridge that he worked on for the king and there were about 50 others that worked on the bridge that got this coin, among them were Germans as evident by "Munich" marking on the coin, I know for a fact it's not fake. My grandfather told me that if I were to take this coin to Jordan (I've been there, never again)and present it to the king, he would grant me immediate citizenship and then take the coin because he was related to the king of iraq and they like to keep things "in family". I've taken some pictures and there is one with a nickle on it for size comparison. I'm not looking to sell because it's a family heirloom, but I'm very curious as to what it's worth. Any ideas? P.s. I attached pictures of two other iraqi coins with soldiers on it, these were to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their military or something, I have no idea because I don't know the language
Welcome to the neighborhood! I'm afraid I can't help you with the medal, but please, never, never hold a coin or medal by the face like you've shown in the photo. The oils in your skin can harm them, and don't try to wipe the fingerprints off with a cloth because that can cause even further harm. Always hold a coin or medal between your thumb and forefinger by the edge (the third side) if you don't have soft cotton gloves. Chris
And therein lies its true value! Since it appears to be copper-nickel and not silver, to anyone without that "connection" it's of little if any monetary value. AMEN!!!
King Faisal II died at the age of 19, in the 14 July Revolution (in Iraq). His cousin was King Hussein of Jordan (now deceased). Before Faisal's death, they had discussed merging the two Kingdoms, since both were Hashemites, a minority dynastic group originally placed in power by the British because they were weak, and had little or no tribal support to challenge the British hegemony. I could not find this piece in Krause and assume it is a medal, as some have already called it.
Right, three coins were issued on that occasion, with basically the same design: 500 fils piece (nickel; on the left in your last image) and a 1 dinar piece (silver; on the right). Those are the ones you have; they also made a gold piece which is somewhat expensive though. As for the medal, seems that this bridge was opened in 1957 and the piece was issued on that occasion. Don't know anything about the possible value though. Two companies are mentioned - Siemens Bauunion (Munich) and Kettaneh Frères (Beyrouth); they were apparently the constructors. SBU existed until the early 1970s (in 1972 Siemens sold that unit to another construction company), and Kettaneh is still around ... Christian
It's about a Bridge project made on Tigris River in Baghdad, during Faisal II rule. The arabic part says : Commemorance of OPENNING the bridge for the eastern gate & A'dhamiya Baghdad. 23 March 1957. Kettaneh = construction Siemens = lighting system,ect.
Hi, I collect Iraq medallions, and I do not have this one. (Please, no WTB/WTS posts here - see our rules. Thank you!)
