Coin of the Week: 1974 Egyptian 10 Piastre

Obverse (Image: October War Anniversary)

Reverse (Top Inscription: Arab Republic of Egypt)

With the military committing to democracy in Egypt today, I thought it'd be interesting to show an Egyptian coin minted before former President Hosni Mubarak's reign.

Although one of the oldest civilizations in the world, Egypt used barter as a form of exchange until approximately 2000 BC. When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC, he introduced a monetary system, and Egyptians began using coins. Over the years, Egyptian coins have reflected national pride, depicting symbols like the three great pyramids of Giza. The reverse of each coin has the denomination in the center, the Gregorian date on the bottom left and the Muslim date on the bottom right.

The 10 Piastre coin honors the first anniversary of the October War against Israel (or the Yom Kippur War). On October 6, 1973, the Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal and recovered the Sinai peninsula from Israel. The image on the obverse depicts an Egyptian soldier standing before the Suez Canal. He carries a weapon over his right shoulder, in his left hand he holds an olive branch. The inscription reads "In Memory of the 6 October 1973 War".