Egypt AH 1223(10) 20 para
The coin shown is a billon twenty para from the reign of Sultan Mahmud II. It was struck at the Cairo Mint during years 1 and 5-11. The obverse bears the toughra, or signature, of the sultan, with the denomination written below (abbreviated as the letter 'p' for para) with the number 10 above. A crude floral design sits right of the toughra. The reverse carries the accession date and the text minted in Misr (Misr is Arabic for Egypt). The date is written as AH 1223 year 10, which translates to about 1816 AD. Uslu[1] lists this issue as very rare.
This specimen was lot 451 in Stephen Album sale 30 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2018), where it sold for $411.25. The catalog description[2] noted, "EGYPT: Mahmud II, 1808-1839, BI 20 para, Misr, AH1223 year 10, above-average strike, with very little weakness, Fine to VF, R."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.4-3.8 g, billon, 22-24 mm diameter, this specimen 3.22 g.
Catalog reference: KM-174.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Valentine, W.H., Modern Copper Coins of the Muhammadan States, London: Spink and Sons, 1911.
- [1]Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay. Ottoman Empire Coins, Istanbul: Mas Matbaacilik A.S., 2007.
- [2]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 30, featuring the George Anderson Collection of Tibetan Coins, the Dr. John W. Lund Collection of Swedish Coins and the Mike Edwards Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2018.
Link to:
- AH 1223(5) 20 para
- Tripoli AH 1223(10) 10 para
- Coins and currency dated 1816
- return to coins of Egypt