Egypt AH 1223(31) 100 qirsh
The coin shown is a gold hundred 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. Below the toughra is the denomination (qirsh), abbreviated as 'sh', with the number 100 ("١٠٠") above. The reverse carries the regnal date and the text minted in Misr (Misr is Arabic for Egypt). The date is written as AH 1223 year 31, which translates to about 1837 AD. This was one of the first series to be struck on milled planchets. This specimen was lot 1001 in SINCONA Auction 97 (Zürich, May 2025), where it sold for 2,750 CHF (about US$3,989 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "Mahmud II. 1808-1839. 100 Quirsh 1223 AH / Jahr 31 (1809), Misr (Kairo). Sehr selten. Kratzer, leicht bearbeitet. (Egypt, struck in the name of Mehmet II, 1808-39, one hundred qirsh of AH 1223, year 31, Cairo mint. Very rare. NGC AU Details, Scratches, lightly tooled.)"
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 8.40 g, 0.875 fine gold, 22 mm diameter, this specimen 8.51 g.
Catalog reference: KM 217, Fr-87.
- 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.
- [1]Richter, Jurg, SINCONA Auction 97: World and Swiss Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2025.
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