Egypt AH 1223(31) 20 qirsh
The coin shown is a silver twenty 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 20 ("٢٠") 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. The coin pictured was sold by Ponterio & Associates (Lot 2840) on April 24, 2009, for $1,610. The catalog description[1] noted, "EGYPT. 20 Qirsh. AH1223 Yr. 31 (1837). Nearly VERY FINE."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 27.15-28.06 g, 37 mm diameter, 0.833 silver.
Catalog reference: KM 186.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, and Kent Ponterio, Ponterio sale 151: The 2009 Baltimore Auction, Irvine, CA: Bowers and Merena, 2009.
Link to: