Tunisia AH 1276 5 piastres
The coin shown is a gold hundred piastres from the reign of Sultan Abdul Mejid, minted in Tunis. After AH 1272, all coins mentioned 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 105 in Sincona sale 31 (Zürich, October 2016), where it sold for 750 CHF (about US$890 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "OTTOMAN TUNIS | Abdul Mejid (1255-1277ah/1839-1861ce) 5 riyals 1276ah (1859ce) AU RRR, unpublished date -xf." This type of AH 1272-1275 is from the first series of milled gold coinage in Tunisia.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: .98 g, 0.900 fine gold, 0.028 oz AGW, this specimen 0.92 g.
Catalog reference: KM 122 (unlisted date).
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Jürg Richter and Ralph W. Miller, Tunisian Coins and Medals: The Miller Collection, Auction 31, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2016.
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