Turkey AH 1223(10) 1/4 zeri mahbub
This specimen was lot 2259 in Stephen Album sale 38 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2020), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "TURKEY: Mahmud II, 1808-1839, AV rubiye, Kostantaniye, AH1223 year 10, Unc. The rubiye ("quarter") is ¼ of the sultani (findik), which was struck to the standard of about 3.50g until reduced to 3.20g under Mustafa IV. Thus this rubiye is exactly ¼ of the reduced sultani. It is not ¼ of the zeri mahbub, which weighed about 2.60g, even though this classification has been almost universal in the KM and other catalogs. The rubiye may also be called ¼ sultani, ¼ findik, or ¼ eshrefi (three more different terms for the same denomination)." This type was issued during years 6-14 of Mahmud's reign. It is hammered, as milled coinage was not introduced until 1839. Most are holed, perhaps having been removed from the costumes of belly dancers. While we don't wish to contest the scholarship of so august an authority as Steve Album, we feel compelled to follow the classification used in the SCWC and Friedberg.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: .75-.79 g, gold, this specimen 0.81 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-88, KM-608.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 38, featuring the Dabestani Collection of Persian Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
- 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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