Turkey AH1115(3) zeri istanbul
This specimen was lot 3348 in Künker sale 264 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €175 (about US$226 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Ahmed III. 1703-1730. Findik 1703 (= 1115 AH), Islambol. GOLD. Fast vorzüglich. (Turkey, Ahmed III, 1703-30, findik of year 1115 AH, Istanbul mint. Choice extremely fine.)"
The vast majority of survivors have been removed from jewelry. The Hejira calendar uses a lunar year instead of a solar year, so its starting date moves from year to year. This type was issued AH 1115, year III thru XXV (1705-26). We have assigned this specimen to regnal year III even tho we can't find the regnal date on the coin. The auction cataloguers incorrectly used the accession date (AH 1115) as the issue date. The gold was the victim of frequent manipulation and the denominations changed names in a confusing manner. The SCWC lists zeri mahbubs, rumi altins, adli altins, yeni altins and hayriye altins for this period. Matters were regularized in the reign of Abdul Mejid, with gold coins issued in multiples of the kuruş.
Recorded mintage: unknown but common for the series.
Specification: 3.45 g, gold, this specimen 3.47 g.
Catalog reference: KM 173, Pere 499; Damali 23-K-A 1.
- [1]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 264, Gold coins | Russian Coins and Medals | German Coins after 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2015.
- 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.
- Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay, Ottoman Empire Coins 1687-1839 (AH 1099-1255), Istanbul: Anka Matbaacilik, 2010.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
Link to: