«Shoir va mutafakkiri buzurg», «great poet and thinker»: that is how the reverse legend of the 2007 Tajik somoni describes Mavlono Jaloliddini Rumi. The coin marks the 800th anniversary of the poet’s birth: the reverse shows his portrait, the dates 1207–1273 and a prominent «800 sol», «800 years».

Rumi wrote in Persian, spent most of his life in Konya and died there. The anniversary was celebrated far beyond Central Asia: UNESCO proclaimed 2007 the International Year of Rumi.

Tajikistan has a special bond with the poet. Sources give his birthplace differently: some name Balkh, in present-day Afghanistan, others Vakhsh, a settlement in present-day Tajikistan. This anniversary somoni is one of the coins with which the country marked the date.

The National Bank of Tajikistan issued two versions: this copper-nickel coin, 100,000 pieces for circulation, and a silver proof of just 1,000 pieces. The coat-of-arms side carries the legends «Jumhurii Tojikiston» and «Yak somoni», the date and the letters SPMD, the mark of the Saint Petersburg Mint.

It belongs in a «writers and poets» theme, in a collection of Tajik commemoratives and in a display on Persian classical literature. The UNC grade means the coin has not circulated: the portrait shows no wear and the mint lustre is intact, with only minor handling marks possible.

This coin is one of the items in the VPcoins catalogue, which brings together commemorative, circulation and bullion coins from around the world.