AFGHANISTAN. Kingdom. Mohammad Zahir Shah, 1933-1973. Bronze 2 Pul. Kabul, SH1316 (1937). UNC. KM-936.

This charming bronze 2 Pul was struck at the Kabul Mint in SH1316 (1937 AD), just four years into the reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan and one of the most beloved figures in the country's modern history. Zahir Shah came to the throne on 8 November 1933 at the age of just 19, following the assassination of his father Mohammad Nadir Shah, and would go on to reign for nearly 40 years — making him the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan since the founding of the Durrani Empire in the 18th century.

The SH1316 (1937) bronze pul series represents some of the earliest coinage struck under Zahir Shah's name, issued during a period when the young king was still finding his footing and his uncles largely managed the affairs of state. The first two decades of Zahir Shah's reign were defined by cautious national consolidation, expanding foreign relations, and internal development funded entirely by Afghan resources. These early pul coins are tangible artifacts of that formative era.

Catalogued as KM-936, this 2 Pul is struck in bronze, weighing 2 grams with a diameter of 15mm. The 2 Pul represents 1/50th of an Afghani, placing it at the very base of the Afghan monetary system of the era.

Graded Uncirculated (UNC), this piece has survived nearly nine decades without the wear of circulation, retaining its original mint surfaces and bronze luster. Finding any SH1316 bronze pul in UNC condition is a genuine challenge — these small-denomination coins were everyday spending money, and the vast majority circulated heavily before being lost or discarded. An example in this state of preservation is a real find for the serious collector.