AFGHANISTAN. Kingdom. Mohammad Zahir Shah, 1933–1973. Nickel Clad Steel 2 Afghanis. Hamburg, SH1340 (1961). Coin Alignment. KM-954.1. Schön-93.

This nickel clad steel 2 Afghanis was struck at the Hamburg Mint in Germany in SH1340 (1961 AD), during the reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah, as part of the modernized circulation series contracted to foreign mints in the early 1960s. The Hamburg Mint — identified by the mint mark "J" — produced the 1, 2, and 5 Afghani denominations for Afghanistan in 1961, representing one of the more significant episodes of Afghan coinage production at a European facility during the Kingdom era.

This example is the coin alignment variety, catalogued as KM-954.1. Coin alignment means that when the coin is rotated on its vertical axis, the reverse design appears upright — the same orientation as the obverse. This stands in contrast to medal alignment, in which the reverse appears inverted relative to the obverse when rotated on the vertical axis. The standard convention for most world coins is medal alignment; coin alignment on this type is therefore the less common variety. The medal alignment variety is catalogued separately as KM-954.2, and Numista notes evidence suggesting that the KM-954.2 variety may represent the first Republican-era issue struck in 1973 — making the coin alignment KM-954.1 the standard Kingdom-era issue and the medal alignment variety a potentially later and distinct production.

Catalogued as KM-954.1 and Schön-93, this type was struck in nickel clad steel to a standard weight of 5.3 grams at 25.1mm diameter. For the collector building a type set of the Kingdom of Afghanistan series or a specialist in alignment varieties and production oddities of Afghan coinage, this is an attractively struck example of a well-documented variety.