The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V19 2016 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 19, Number 36, September 4, 2016, Article 24

AN INVESTIGATION OF ISIS COINAGE (ENGLISH SYNOPSES)

Last week Hadrien Rambach notified us about a couple of important scholarly articles written in French about the coinage of DAESH, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Reader Chester Sullivan kindly provided the following English synopses. Thanks! -Editor

“Coins made by DAECH, a so-called Islamic State,” by Jérôme Jambu in Bulletin de la Société Française de Numismatique, December 2015.

Translated excerpts:

“In November 2014 DAECH announced its intention to mint and circulate its own money to replace that of “the tyrannical financial system imposed on Moslems,” that is to say, the world monetary system organized around the dollar. The proposed coinage would be in gold and silver, “as in the times of the first califs.” A coin of one dinar was announced by DAESCH in the middle of 2015 and it would carry a value of plus-or- minus $140.00. The announcement was broadcast widely beginning September 1, but its actual production probably started the following June. In the areas controlled by DAECH the news of this issuance was announced by paper fliers pasted on buildings. The coins followed a common design and were issued in seven denominations. There were no representations of living people, conforming to the laws of Charia. Obverse: inscriptions in Arab naskhi, cursive, read at the top ad-Dawlah al-Islamiyah (Islamic State) and at the bottom al-Khilafat ala Minhaj an-Nubuwwah (A Califat following the path of the Prophet). In the center the value was written in letters, their weight in grams, and the carats, for gold. These modern measures of weight and carat represent an incongruity because they are not of the time period the coin pretended to reestablish. Reverse: designs inanimate, the mark of value in figures, and in exergue the year 1436 of the Hégire."

"These coins were issued in a series: two coins in gold, three in silver, and two in copper."

"On August 28, 2015, a video showing the fabrication of the coins and their presence in the hands of combatants was distributed by the group on the internet. The announcement was relayed widely and magnified by international media, after September 1."

"In consideration of the complexities that abound concerning this possible issuance of coins we should perhaps consider the possibility that there were two strikings: one in precious metal for internal use and another in base metal for sale in foreign countries where their very existence and the legends on them would provide publicity for the terrorist organization."

"Another hypothesis, just as likely, is that the widely publicized initial striking never actually took place, except for a few pieces for propaganda."

Remember that all the information we have for the existence of these coins in precious metal comes from in the form of drawings, synthetic images, or photographs in which parts are blurred, without scaling, etc. And we have no neutral testimony to confirm their actual circulation.”

In conclusion the author notes that the dies, which are pictured in the article, were undoubtedly made by an experienced engraver, an arabisante because of the high quality of the workmanship and the carving of the legends which are similar in style to coins of the Arabian Peninsula. And concerning the metal required for fabrication the author notes that DAECH acquired a large quantity of gold ingots—approximately 200 kg—from the Banque Centrale Irakienne de Mossoul.

Thanks! I'm glad to see someone is looking into this. -Editor

Chester adds:

I can't comment on the eBay coins because I haven't seen any. The author of the article does remark that there are probably Asian counterfeits, and some of the DAECH coins purported to be silver are iron with silver coating. I would suggest to anyone interested in these coins to contact one of the reputable European dealers connected to MA Shops, the on-line consortium.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ARTICLES: AN INVESTIGATION OF ISIS COINAGE (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n35a07.html)



Wayne Homren, Editor

Google
 
NBS (coinbooks.org) Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

PREV ARTICLE       NEXT ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V19 2016 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.

NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS webmaster
coin