Egypt AH 1223(29) 5 qirsh KM-211
The coin shown is a gold five qirsh from the reign of Sultan Mahmud II. It was struck at the Cairo Mint. The obverse bears the toughra, or signature, of the sultan. In this variety, no denominational value appears under 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 29, which translates to about 1835 AD. The example pictured was sold by Heritage Auction Galleries as lot 13234 on September 9, 2004, for $172.50. The catalog description noted, "Mahmud II gold 5 Piastres 1223AH year 29, very scarce type without the denomination, the first issue of the reformed coinage. VF+, superficial encrustation. From the Lake Pearl Middle Eastern Collection."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.42 g, 0.875 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-72, KM 211.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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