Morocco 1/2, 1, 5, and 50 Dirhams 1960 to 1975

Hi Janet --

You have a coin from Morocco. Moroccan coins are well known for their Hejira dates. These dates are based on a Mohammedan calendar that started when Mohammed was alive in the 600s AD. Not only is the start of the AH (Hejira) calendar different, but the number of days in a year is based on the lunar cycle, not the solar cycle. An AH date of 1380 is the same as an AD date of 1960. Get the picture?

The coin in our picture comes from B&D World Coins on eBay. It is a beautiful coin in beautiful condition. As such, it is worth between $10 and $20 US dollars. Most other modern dirham coins are worth far less.

There are many diffent types of dirhams with different portraits on the front. We show one additional example, but there are several. They all have the two lions, star, and crown on the back.

As with all modern coins, any value over face value is due to their precious metal content. Of all the different dirham denominations, i.e., 1/2, 1, 5, and 50 dirhams, only a few ar made of precious metal. If you have one of these, great! They are listed below. If your Moroccan dirham does not appear in the list, it is a low-value coin.

1960 (1380) 1 dirham: 0.116 troy ounces silver
1965 (1384) 5 dirhams: 0.272 troy ounces silver
1974 (1394) 1 dirham: 0.136 troy ounces gold (most are copper-nickel)
1975 (1395) 5 dirhams: 0.357 troy ounces silver (most are copper-nickel)
1975 (1395) 5 dirhams: 0.684 troy ounces gold (most are copper-nickel)
1975 (1395) 50 dirhams: 1.041 troy ounces silver
1975 (1395) 50 dirhams: 1.740 troy ounces gold
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