AFGHANISTAN. Kingdom. Mohammad Zahir Shah, 1933–1973. Nickel Plated Steel 5 Afghanis. Hamburg, SH1340/AH1380 (1961). UNC. KM-955. Schön-94. Y-102.

This nickel plated steel 5 Afghanis was struck at the Hamburg Mint in Germany in SH1340/AH1380 (1961 AD), during the reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan. The dual dating on this coin — expressing both the Solar Hijri year SH1340 and the Islamic Hijri year AH1380 — reflects the formal use of both calendar systems in Afghan official life during this period, and represents one of the distinctive characteristics of the 1961 Hamburg-struck series.

The decision to commission Afghan coinage from the Hamburg Mint in 1961 was part of a broader modernization of Afghanistan's currency under Zahir Shah, who contracted several denominations to German and other foreign mints as Afghanistan continued to lack the domestic minting infrastructure required for modern machine-struck coinage at scale. The Hamburg Mint, known in German as the Hamburgische Münze and identified by the mint mark "J," was one of Germany's most established minting facilities and produced a well-struck, consistent product. The 1961 series struck at Hamburg — encompassing the 1, 2, and 5 Afghani denominations — represents one of the most cleanly executed issues in the mid-20th century Afghan coinage program.

Catalogued as KM-955, Schön-94, and Y-102, this type was struck in nickel plated steel to a standard weight of 8.04 grams at 29mm diameter, making it the largest and heaviest coin in the 1961 Hamburg series. Graded Uncirculated, this example retains its original mint surfaces and nickel plating without circulation wear — a meaningful distinction for a base metal denomination of this era, as the 5 Afghani circulated actively in everyday commerce and surviving UNC examples are appreciably scarcer than worn survivors.