Egypt AH 1277(9) 2 1/2 qirsh
The coin shown is a 2½ qirsh, composition silver, from the reign of Sultan Abdul Aziz. 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 2 above, followed by a symbol denoting '1/2'. The reverse carries the accession date and the text minted in Misr (Misr is Arabic for Egypt). The date is written as AH 1277 year 9, which translates to about 1868 AD. Uslu[1] lists this issue as very rare.
The coin shown was lot 908 in Ponterio sale 158 (New York, 2011) and sold for $1,380. The catalog description reads: "EGYPT. 2 1/2 Qirsh, AH 1277 Year 9 (1868). RARE. MINT STATE."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.50 g, 25 mm diameter, 83.3% silver.
Catalog reference: KM 252.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay. Ottoman Empire Coins. Istanbul: Mas Matbaacilik A.S., 2007.
- Valentine, W.H., Modern Copper Coins of the Muhammadan States, London: Spink and Sons, 1911.
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