Saudi Arabia 1 Riyal 1983

The 1983 Saudi 1 Riyal coin was struck to commemorate the Third Islamic Summit Conference, held in Taif in 1981, marking one of the few times a Middle Eastern nation put a major diplomatic event on its currency.

That design features the Saudi coat of arms on the obverse and Arabic inscriptions on the reverse, likely including references to the summit. It's composed of cupro-nickel, a practical choice for circulation in the region's climate. While some enthusiasts debate subtle variations in the strike, those are probably just minting quirks rather than anything profound.

Mintage numbers? They're murky; Saudi records from the early 1980s aren't always reliable. As for rarity, it's not as scarce as some collectors wish.

Every so often, someone tries to pass off a modern copy as original, which just reminds me how little has changed in thirty years.