TCV Roundtable Blog

100 Greatest Modern World Coins Series: Yemen AH1358 (1939) Gold 2 Riyals

We continue our blog series following along with Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Modern World Coins with a coin that is technically modern, but its appearance says otherwise. Authors Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker talk us through this major rarity from the other side of the globe today as we learn more about its background and the reign it was struck under.

#93 – Yemen AH1358 (1939) Gold 2 Riyals

According to authors Morgan and Walker, Arabic coinage often gets dismissed by Western numismatic collectors, an unfortunate slight since it is chocked full of rarities and varieties. One of those rarities is the Yemen AH1358 Gold 2 Riyals. Just four are known to exist with one of them bringing over $21,000 at auction in January of 2015.

The coin is considered unique for its appearance despite its modernity. Described...read more