Tunisia AH 1273 piastre
The coin shown is a silver piastre from the reign of Sultan Abdul Mejid, minted in Tunis. From AH 1272, all coins exhibited reference to the local ruler (or Bey) of Tunis, along with the Ottoman sultan. Tunisia was under the control of the Ottomans for centuries until lack of financial resources forced it into dependence on France, which made it a protectorate in 1881. This specimen was lot 76868 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $840. The catalog description[1] noted, "TUNISIA. Ottoman Empire. Piastre, AH 1273 (1856/57). Tunis Mint. Abdul Mejid & Muhammad Bey. PCGS AU-58." This type of AH 1272-1273 is listed in the SCWC as a piastre and in Numista as a rial.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.2 g, 0.900 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-117.1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]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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