Excellent 1942 and 1944 Egyptian 2 Qirsh silver hexagonal coins - Minted at the SA Mint during WW2

Taken with permission from a presentation (Titled Foreign coins minted in South Africa) given at a local numismatic society meeting in 2023 

In 1942 the Egyptian government under King Farouk I placed an order to the South African Mint for 10 million silver 2 Qirsh coins. (These are the round type, one of which is included in this lot) During the war, Egypt experienced a shortage of silver coins because of widespread hoarding. This became even worse when the 2 Qirsh coins silver value exceeded their face value, resulting in many being melted for scrap. To combat the shortage of 2 Qirsh coins in circulation, the government placed a second order at the SA Mint, but this time they were struck in a 50% silver alloy and were hexagonal instead of round. (One of these coins is also included in this lot)