Egyptian commemorative coins that never saw the light of day

Are there any Egyptian commemorative coins that have not yet been issued? 

Of course, there are Egyptian and Arab commemorative coins that we have not seen and that have not gone beyond the design stage, but through our review of the newspaper archives, we came across some articles that call us to stop and look at those two pieces that were announced in one of the major Egyptian newspapers, and one of them was approved by the Egyptian Cabinet, but we have not seen them.

Commemorative coins of one pound and five pounds denominations to mark Egypt's return to the Arab League

The story begins after Egypt signed the Camp David Accords with the Zionist entity. A crisis in the Arab League intensified, as Iraq held an Arab League summit in Baghdad with the participation of 10 Arab countries and the Palestine Liberation Organization, known as the ”Rejection Front.” The summit declared its rejection of the Camp David Accords, and the Arab countries, with the exception of Oman, Somalia, and Sudan, decided to move the headquarters of the Arab League and suspend Egypt’s membership, then cut off relations after the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty on March 26, 1979.

The boycott between the Arab states and Egypt included suspending flights, boycotting Egyptian products, and not dealing with individuals. The Arab League at that time issued a decision to consider Tunisia as the official headquarters of the Arab League and to appoint Chedli Klibi as Secretary-General of the League, a position he held until 1990. In 1987, the Amman Summit was held, and resolutions were issued, the most important of which was ending the boycott with Egypt and restoring diplomatic relations, based on the premise that the League includes everything that is Arab.

On June 2, 1989, the Egyptian flag was raised at the Arab League headquarters in Tunis. In March 1990, the headquarters returned to Cairo with the convening of the emergency Casablanca summit, and Esmat Abdel Meguid became Secretary-General of the Arab League, amidst significant regional, Arab, and international developments. The event was termed Egypt's return to the Arab League.

Before the first anniversary of the event, specifically in February 1990, the Legislation Department of the State Council, headed by Counselor Mohamed El-Gamal, approved the issuance of commemorative coins to mark Egypt’s return to the Arab League. It was decided to issue two pieces: a gold coin of the one pound denomination and a silver coin of the five pounds denomination, but they did not see the light of day.

The announcement of commemorative coins was published in Al-Ahram newspaper in the issue issued on February 14, 1990, and the design of the commemorative coins was published in the newspaper, but we do not have definitive information as to whether this piece was actually issued in a very limited number and distributed to the members of the League of Arab States, or whether it did not go beyond the design stage? Also, we did not have a photocopy of the Cabinet’s decision to issue that piece.

The design of the commemorative coins clearly features the emblem of the League of Arab States, prominently displayed on a column composed of 11 branches (likely representing the number of member states participating in the meeting), linked by three rings. Below this is the emblem of the eagle of the Arab Republic of Egypt. On either side are images of two clasped arms, symbolizing the reconciliation between the Arab League member states and Egypt. At the bottom is the signature of Mr. Sabri Salah Essawy, the coin's designer, and it bears the date of Egypt's return to the Arab League in May 1989.

Commemorative coins to honor the memory of Olympic weightlifter Ibrahim Shams

Ibrahim Shams is a weightlifting legend and one of the icons of Egyptian sports, due to his great achievements in the sport. Ibrahim Shams etched his name in gold in the annals of champions, not just in Egypt, but on a global scale. He won the bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1938, Shams rose to international prominence by winning the gold medal and first place at the World Championships held in Austria. The Egyptian weightlifter also won gold at the 1948 London Olympics in the lightweight division, setting both an Olympic and world record in the snatch and the double press.

Here we repeat the same questions as before: Were commemorative coins actually issued in a very limited number and distributed to a limited number of important and sports figures, or did they not go beyond the idea stage?

Dr. Mazen Ibrahim

Sources:

Al-Ahram Newspaper Electronic Archive

Encyclopedia and Catalog of Egyptian Coins – Eng. Magdy Hanafy

Egyptian coins – Sayed Desouki