Turkey AH 1187(12) 2 zolota KM-403
This specimen was lot 76769 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $168. The catalog description[1] noted, "TURKEY. Ottoman Empire. 2 Zolota, AH 1187 Year 12 (1784). Istanbul (Constantinople) Mint. Abdul Hamid I. PCGS MS-61. This charming and hefty Ottoman issue delivers good quality eye appeal, with soft shimmering luster, and strong calligraphy. Most appealing when preserved at this grade level. From the Richard Margolis Collection." This specimen is from a series struck in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid I (r. 1774-1789). Ottoman coins were dated using regnal years; the reverse bears the date AH 1187 (= 1774 A.D.) while the reverse bears the regnal year 12. This date also comes with ornament (KM 402). 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 1196-1209. These coins are not common but many do not realize their proper value.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 26.1-26.9 g, billon.
Catalog reference: Dav-1814, KM-403.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay, Ottoman Empire Coins 1687-1839 (AH 1099-1255), Istanbul: Anka Matbaacilik, 2010.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed. London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to: