Genuine Saudi Arabian gold discs exist in 1 dinar and 4 dinar denominations. They were struck by the Philadelphia Mint to pay petroleum royalties in gold at a time when the usual currency, British sovereigns, was scarce. The 4 dinar discs are rare. In 1958 they suddenly became abundant. Careful study of the new 4 dinar discs, however, showed that they were forgeries: unlike genuine pieces that had a provenance back into the early 1950s, they did not have stippling within the opening of the P and the D of “PHILADELPHIA” (Boosel 1959). These pieces are mentioned here because they come from the same source as the western gold bars, the Mexican gold bars, the Tubac ingot, the “Franklin Hoard” USAOG pieces, and the false counterstamps.
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