A large stylised 40 flanked by the dates 1968 and 2008: this is how the 2008 UAE commemorative dirham marks four decades of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the first bank founded in the emirate of Abu Dhabi itself.

The reverse legend appears in two languages: NATIONAL BANK OF ABU DHABI in English and «Bank Abu Dhabi al-Watani» in Arabic. The obverse is the one shared by the commemorative dirhams of the period, with the denomination in Arabic numerals framed by the country name in Arabic and English. The Central Bank of the UAE lists the coin among its commemorative AED 1 issues.

The bank in its original form is now history. In December 2016 its shareholders approved a merger with First Gulf Bank, and the combined institution became First Abu Dhabi Bank. The coin remains a record of the independent NBAD, which by then had the widest overseas network of any Emirati bank.

It belongs in a run of UAE commemorative dirhams, in a topical collection on banks and financial institutions, and is easy to reference in the Krause catalogue as KM# 85.

Condition UNC: the coin never circulated, so its mint lustre and the relief of the 40 show no wear. Since commemorative dirhams were released into circulation alongside ordinary ones, an uncirculated example is the natural choice for an album.

For those who collect coins by subject, whether wildlife, architecture, famous people or sport, the VPcoins catalogue offers other themed issues too.