One of the collecting pursuits that I use to supplement my US commemorative coin collection is world coins that commemorate shared history with the US. In the past, I've discussed Sweden's 1938 Two Kronor that was issued alongside the US' Delaware half dollar to celebrate the 300th anniversary of New Sweden (you can read about it
here.) I've also posted about the 2009 Five Euro coin of the Netherlands that marked the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's landing at "Manna-hata" - present-day Manhattan; the US
did not issue a coin for this anniversary. (You can read about it
here.)
This post presents a silver 200 Dirham silver coin from Morocco that commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship between Morocco and the US. Morocco is, simultaneously, the first African nation, the first Arab nation and the first Muslim nation to enter into a formal treaty with the United States.
Read More: Commems CollectionFriendly relations with Morocco date to the earliest days of the United States. Morocco was the first country to formally recognize the newly-independent US when Sultan Mohammed III decreed that ships sailing under the US flag would be freely allowed to enter Morocco's ports on equal terms to countries with treaties already in place. This recognition began on December 20, 1777.
In 1784, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were given the authority by Congress to represent the United States as its Ministers Plenipotentiary in negotiations with the Emperor of Morocco (Sidi Muhammad Ben Abdullah, aka Mohammad III) regarding a Treaty of Amity and Commerce. On March 1, 1785, Congress gave Adams, Jefferson and Franklin the authority to delegate the in-person negotiations to an appropriate agent. Thomas Barclay, the American consul in France, was selected and sent to Morocco to meet with Mohammed III and his representatives to conduct the face-to-face negotiations; Barclay arrived in June 1786. Barclay negotiated the Treaty based on the provisions drafted by Franklin, Jefferson and Adam.
The Treaty was signed, separately, by Jefferson (in Paris) on January 1 and Adams (in London) on January 27, 1787 (Franklin was back in the US at that point and, therefore, unavailable to sign the document). The Treaty was ratified by the US Congress in July 1787; the US Congress was operating under the Articles of Confederation at the time. On behalf of the Emperor, Taher Ben Abdelhack Fennish signed the Treaty for Morocco.
(Note: I have seen multiple spellings of the name of the Morrocan commissioner, I have used the one listed by the Founders Online
web site managed by the US National Archives.)In short, the Treaty states that the two countries would not go to war against each other, that US ships would enjoy safe passage and harbor in the waters of Morocco and the two nations would enjoy mutual
most favored nation status in matters of trade. The original Treaty had a term of 50 years. The US and Morocco renewed the Treaty in 1836; the renewed Treaty does not have an expiration date.
The Morocco coins were issued by the Central Bank of Morocco; 5,000 of the proof coins were released. The coins have a 0.925 fine silver (sterling silver) composition and are 31 millimeters in diameter with a weight of 15.0 grams; the coins have a smooth edge. The coins were struck by
The Royal Mint in the UK.
The obverse depicts a left-facing portrait of King Hassan II, the then-current King of Morocco; Hassan died on July 23, 1999 - he was succeeded by Mohammed VI.
The obverse inscription behind Hassan II translates as "Moroccan-American Friendship Treaty" while the text in front of Hassan's portrait is simply "Hassan II."
The reverse presents a stylized 13-star US flag (current in 1787) and a stylized flag of the United Kingdom of Morocco. The sun behind the two flags is meant to symbolize the "radiant friendship" between the two nations.
On the coin's reverse, under the flag of Morocco, the parallel text to "In God We Trust" translates as "O you who believe, if you will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you." To the right of "200" is the denomination "Dirhams" (translated).
The designs are the work of the British sculptor, David Wynne, under commission.
A gold version of the coin was also struck. It carries the same denomination, 200 Dirhams, but is 0.900 fine gold with a weight of 21.5 grams.
I looked for a nice example of this coin, at a fair price, for several years before I found this one being offered by a UK seller. It was in its original packaging with paperwork and appeared to be a clear (vs. cloudy) proof. I placed my bid, won the auction and received the coin in about a week's time. Quick and easy!
1987 Morocco 200 Dirhams - 200 Years of US Friendship: Original Case and Certificate-
Posted 10/11/2020 4:59 pm
