Almohad Felus

The most intriguing thing about the Almohad Felus is how these copper coins, despite their crude minting, served as the backbone of trade across a fractured Iberian Peninsula and North Africa for over a century.

Weighing in at just a few grams, they were typically struck with simple Arabic inscriptions proclaiming the caliph's name, like that of Abu Yusuf, on one side and a geometric design on the other. Variations depended on the mint, possibly Seville or Marrakesh, though records are spotty.

Minting techniques were basic; dies were hand-cut, leading to irregular shapes that could fool modern forgers. Not every Felus survived; many were melted down for tools or other coins. As for exact numbers, they're lost to time—no archives from the era remain intact.

I've seen my share of these, dug up from old sites, and they never cease to remind me how everyday currency shaped empires.