Tunisia AH 982 sultani
The first specimen was lot 7 in Sincona sale 31 (Zürich, October 2016), where it sold for 5,000 CHF (about US$5,935 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "OTTOMAN TUNIS | Murad III (982-1003ah/1574-1595ce) sultani 982ah (1574ce) AU A-A1332; RR xf+. Ex Album 21:450." The second specimen was lot 406 in Stephen Album sale 39 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $1,200. The catalog description[2] noted, "OTTOMAN EMPIRE: Murad III, 1574-1595, AV sultani, Tunis, AH982, decent strike, well-centered, EF, RR, ex Ahmed Sultan Collection." Friedberg lists no gold coins for Tunisia prior to the Turkish decimal reform of 1839. It is doubtless rare. It may have been intended to compete with the Venetian ducat familiar throughout the Mediterranean but we doubt the bey had access to enough gold to make a serious dent.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: 3.5 g, gold, this specimen 3.45 g.
Catalog reference: A-1332.1, Damali-TU.A1b (different dies), NP 283.
- Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay, Ottoman Empire Coins 1687-1839 (AH 1099-1255), Istanbul: Anka Matbaacilik, 2010.
- Album, Stephen, Checklist of Islamic Coins, 3rd Ed. Santa Rosa, Stephen Album Rare Coins, 2011.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Jürg Richter and Ralph W. Miller, Tunisian Coins and Medals: The Miller Collection, Auction 31, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2016.
- [2]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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