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Reviving the Egyptian Mint
The Ottoman governor Ibrahim Pasha al-Qabtan established the first Egyptian mint, or as it was known, the Darbkhana (minthouse), in the Citadel between his mosque and palace in 1709 AD (1121 AH). It remained in existence until it was renovated by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1812 AD (1227 AH). He continued to patronize it, ordering its expansion and the addition of areas for scales, gold testing, and a prayer room…
May 31, 2023King Farouk and the promotion of stamp collecting
There is no doubt that His Majesty King Farouk I's interest in stamp collecting directly contributed to the spread of the hobby in Egypt. He had several notable experiences, one of which I will recount, though it may not be widely known. Most of us are well aware of the events surrounding the royal visit that took place in early 1946 when King Abdulaziz, the Saudi monarch, visited Egyptian soil and the reception he received…
May 10, 2023Gresham's Law of Currency
What is Gresham's Law, and how does bad money drive out good money? There is indeed an economic law called Gresham's Law, which can be summarized as follows: "Bad money drives out good money." To better understand this law and its current applications, it is crucial to examine its origins and the circumstances surrounding its creation. Thomas Gresham was born Sir...
June 4, 2022Hobby cost
One of the biggest challenges facing hobbyists is the cost of the hobby itself! How do we overcome this cost? Let me ask you, my friend, how many times have you seen a valuable item and wished you owned it, but couldn't because of its high price? I personally have faced this situation many times! But there is a partial solution: knowledge… knowledge! Knowledge about the item in front of you is the fundamental difference…
May 30, 2022Model of the Aswan Dam, 1939
The Aswan Reservoir, also known as the Aswan Dam, is distinct from the High Dam. Construction began in the city of Aswan in southern Egypt between 1899 and 1906. Its foundation stone was laid by Khedive Abbas Hilmi II, and it was inaugurated during his reign. The Aswan Reservoir is located 946 kilometers from the Delta Barrages, also known as the Delta Barrages. The old Aswan Dam was the first dam of its size and the largest dam constructed in the world at that time. Then…
May 28, 2022Egyptian currency of 1938 and the state of confusion
What Egyptian currencies were not issued in 1938, and why was there such political and economic turmoil during this period? Cairo – February 1937, where our story begins. At that time, the Ministry of Finance announced the minting of Egyptian currency in the name of His Majesty King Farouk I, and the news was conveyed to the Royal Court in preparation for authorizing the representative of the Mint in Birmingham to proceed with the minting…
April 9, 2022Two piasters, 1942... They deceived you when they said
They deceived you by saying that Egyptian royal coins were minted outside Egypt before the revolution and that minting only began after the establishment of the Mint in 1953… That's the rumor, but in reality, few of us know that some Egyptian royal coins were minted on Egyptian soil, specifically the two piastres of King Farouk issued in 1942.
October 30, 2020B. Max Mehl, the doyen of currency traders in the United States in the first half of the 20th century
In July 1906, a local Texas newspaper published a small advertisement announcing that B. Max Mehl was retiring from his shoe repair business and would devote himself entirely to the coin trade due to his recent success. The ad urged Texans to find a new shoemaker! Thus began Mehl's serious journey with coins… Benjamin Max Mehl was born in Lithuania (when it was…
October 22, 2020Which is more important? The accuracy of the description or the generosity of the generous?
Which is more important? The accuracy of the description or the generosity of the hosts? I believe this question crossed the mind of His Majesty King Farouk in late 1945. At that time, preparations were in full swing to receive King Abdulaziz Al Saud in the Kingdom of Egypt, and King Farouk had decided to honor his guest and commemorate the royal visit on Egyptian postage stamps, ordering that the stamps be issued…
June 29, 2020Continuation of the Percy Metcalfe topic by Professor Moheb Rizkallah
Continuing from a previous post in the following link: 6 Degrees of Divergence: Results of the 1927 Irish Currency Design Competition. In 1922, Ireland gained its independence from Britain, and one of the things considered essential for the new nation was its own currency. On April 13, 1926, the country's Currency Act was passed, stipulating coins, bullion, and metal weights. But this…
June 12, 20206 degrees of distancing
There's a game played by Westerners called "6 Degrees of Separation," which is based on the idea that you can find a relationship between any two people on Earth through 6 degrees or less (meaning, for example, that person number 1 met person number 2, who married person number 3, who worked for person number 4, and so on) – and in this way…
June 11, 2020The process of re-minting coins
Some details about the re-strike process in coins: There has been much talk recently about re-strikes, particularly with the emergence of Egyptian coins from the NGC company, which seemed strange to many collectors. This article will not present all the theories, but rather focus on the known facts about re-strikes in numismatics in general.
December 28, 2019A reading of the Royal Coin Collection file
A look at the Royal Coin Collection – Some of the withdrawn items: Items 2639 and 2643 (Crown and rare medal box) are among the interesting items withdrawn. Item 2643 is a “crown” skillfully crafted from Egyptian 5-millime coins from the reign of Sultan Hussein Kamel. The Egyptian flag fabric is used as a lining for the crown. Interestingly, this item…
April 2, 2019One of the tragedies of the 1954 auction
On the ninth day of the auction, items 2654 through 2738—84 items in total—were withdrawn. Upon reviewing the catalog, the details of the tragedy become clearer. Most of the withdrawn items represent an entire chapter in the book, specifically the chapter on "Egyptian Gold Commemorative Medals." As usual, "Uncle Farid" did not do a good job; he merely mentioned the occasion of each medal's issuance, along with a brief description and the year of issue…
March 8, 2019One of the most remarkable items in King Farouk's auction
One of the strangest items in King Farouk's coin auction was lot number 2796, described as follows: Germany, a collection of banknotes (paper and silk), emergency issues, stacked in 3 large albums: approximately 11,000 pieces “approximately”!! This means that the auctioneers not only failed to describe the item properly, but they also didn't specify the number of pieces in the lot at all… Guess what…
October 16, 2016King Farouk coin auction
In 1954, a rare auction featured a distinguished collection of King Farouk's coins in an elegant leather case. This unique collection included various sets of coins representing an entire era in the history of the Kingdom of Egypt. The auction box contained a diverse set consisting of: 13 gold coins, 17 silver coins, 10 cupronickel coins…
October 6, 2016Notes on the Farouk Royal Commemorative Stamps
Did you know that there are some simple observations—which may be unknown to some collectors—about certain royal Farouk commemorative stamps? The 1936 treaty is one of the most important commemorative stamps. The image was taken in the Locarno Hall of the British Foreign Office, not at the Zaafaran Palace as is commonly believed. It is also worth noting that this stamp is the only one in Egyptian history to bear…
November 19, 2015