Tunisia AH 1244 piastre
This specimen was lot 2356 in Stephen Album sale 39 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $240. The catalog description[1] noted, "TUNIS: Mahmud II, 1808-1839, AR piastre, Tunis, AH1244, an attractive mint state example! PCGS graded MS63." Tunisia, nominally subject to the Ottoman empire since the sixteenth century, survived on piracy. This eventually became unacceptable to the seafaring powers, who quashed the pirates in the 1820's. The ruling beys, deprived of revenue, attempted to reform the state but only succeeded in incurring a large foreign debt. Bankruptcy was declared in 1869 and was used in 1881 as the pretext for French occupation. This type was struck AH 1240-55 in the name of Mahmud II in Constantinople. Sixteen kharub made a riyal or piastre.
Recorded Mintage: unknown.
Specification: billon, 11.0-11.5 g.
Catalog reference: KM-90.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 39, featuring the John Sylvester, Jr., Collection of Annamese Medals and Orders, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
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