My friend brought me a coin from Yemen. It is entirely in Arabic except the date 1990. The design is hard to describe but resembles a tree trunk with some sort of building with columns on the lower-left. It is base metal and in circulated condition. What is the denomination?
Without either a picture that would enable us to read the denomination, or a complete description of size, weight and metallic content your question is not likely to be accurately answered. It would also help to know if it is from the current "Republic of Yemen", or one of the former Arab or Democratic Republics, which merged in late 1990.
Is it this one? If it is then acanthite has it spot on. The two dates (in Arabic numerals read 1995AD and 1416AH). The reverse design is of a bridge at Shaharah.
I have had this coin since the 1960's: It is a fantasy 1 Dinar coin supposedly issued for Yemen. The date is AH 1352 (AD 1933). Diameter 23mm, metal appears to be aluminum-bronze or brass. Made at the Vienna Mint by somebody named Bernard O'Hea, whoever he is.
I hate to break this to you, but the numbers and base 10 number system we use in the west were invented by the Arabs. So the date is in Arabic, as well.
I hate to break this to you mac266, but "1234567890", the so-called "Arabic Numbers", are not the numbers used in modern Arabic writing. The digits common in Europe and the Americas should more properly be referred to as "Hindu-Arabic".
I don't know about that, but I do know that during my several trips to the middle ease (one a training mission, the other quite hostile), all the roadway signs were printed in Arabic writing with "Arabic numbers" 0-9.
I don't know, willieboyd, but that coin you show doesn't have a reference to Yemen written on it. How do you know it was minted for there?
