Egypt AH 1293(28) 2/10 qirsh
The coin shown is a 2/10 qirsh, composition copper-nickel, from the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The obverse bears the toughra, or signature, of the sultan, with the year of issue written below (as in year during the reign of the sultan, in this case year 28). A flower design is to the right of the toughra. The reverse carries peripheral text including the phrase 'minted in Misr'. The large arabic 2 in the center symbolizes the fraction over 10 (2/10). Below this is the ascension year of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, AH 1293. The date of the coin translates to 1902 AD. Uslu[1] lists this issue as common.
This denomination represents a member of a coinage reform started in 1884 AD. Previous to that date, coins with a value less than one qirsh were given in the unit 'para'. All fractional qirshes after 1884 were given values directly proportional to one qirsh, e.g. 1/40 qirsh, 1/20 qirsh, 1/10 qirsh, 2/10 qirsh, etc. This suite of denominations was continued until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and subsequent loss of influence in Egypt, in 1914 AD. The second specimen was lot 74551 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $125. The catalog description[2] noted, "EGYPT. Ottoman Empire. 2/10 Qirsh, AH 1293 Year 28 (1903). Misr Mint. Abdul Hamid II. NGC MS-66."
Recorded mintage: 2,000,000.
Specification: 2.3 g, copper-nickel, 18.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 290.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay, Ottoman Empire Coins, Istanbul: Mas Matbaacilik A.S., 2007.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, including Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection and Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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