Turkey AH1293(31) 100 kurush
This specimen was lot 3352 in Künker sale 264 (Osnabrück, June 2015), where it sold for €220 (about US$284 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Abdul Hamid II. 1876-1909. 100 Piaster 1905 (= 1323 AH), 31. Regierungsjahr, Konstantinopel (Istanbul). 6,61 g Feingold. GOLD. Kl. Randfehler, sehr schön +. (Turkey, Abdul Hamid II, 1876-1909, 100 piastres of 1323 AH, regnal year 31, Istanbul mint. Small rim bumps, very fine or better.)"
This specimen is from a series struck in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid (r. 1876-1909). This denomination was introduced during the rule of Sultan Abdul Mejid (r. 1839-61). Ottoman coins were dated using regnal years; the reverse bears the date AH 1293 (= 1876 A.D.) while the obverse bears the regnal year 31 (= AH 1323). 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 1299-1327 (1880-1908); some dates are listed with very low mintages but the SCWC prices them all the same. The last gold 100 kurush of this size was issued in 1929, under Ataturk's Republic.
Recorded mintage: 2,748,448.
Specification: 7.22 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM 730, Fr-143 (formerly Fr-41); Schl. 509.
- [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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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, Istanbul: Mas Matbaacilik A.S., 2007.
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