AFGHANISTAN. Kingdom. Mohammad Zahir Shah, 1933–1973. Copper-Nickel 25 Pul. Berlin, SH1316 (1937). UNC+. KM-940.

This copper-nickel 25 Pul was struck at the Berlin Mint in SH1316 (1937 AD), during the early years of Mohammad Zahir Shah's reign as King of Afghanistan. It is part of the SH1316 Berlin-struck series that encompasses multiple denominations in both bronze and copper-nickel, representing one of the most carefully executed issues of the Kingdom era and the first significant use of copper-nickel as a composition in Afghan coinage. The introduction of copper-nickel for the 25 Pul denomination in 1937 marked a modernization in Afghan coinage metallurgy — earlier 25 Pul pieces had been struck in bronze, and the shift to copper-nickel for this and other denominations reflected the broader rationalization of Afghan coinage under Zahir Shah in the mid-1930s. The Berlin Mint, one of Germany's premier minting facilities, was contracted for this production as Afghanistan continued to rely on established European mints for its circulation coinage. Catalogued as KM-940, this type was struck in copper-nickel to a standard weight of 2.9 grams at 20mm diameter. Graded Uncirculated, this example retains full original surfaces and mint luster. The 25 Pul represented one quarter of an Afghani in everyday Afghan commerce, a denomination that circulated actively and was rarely set aside — making UNC survivors from the 1930s production genuinely scarce and desirable for the specialist collector of Kingdom of Afghanistan coinage.