Turkey AH 1255(11) para
This specimen is from a series struck in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Abdul Mejid (r. 1839-1861). Ottoman coins were dated using regnal years; the reverse bears the date AH 1255 (= 1839 A.D.) while the obverse bears the regnal year 13. The Hejira calendar uses a lunar year instead of a solar year, so its starting date moves from year to year. This specimen was lot 76872 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $105. The catalog description[1] noted, "TURKEY. Para, AH 1255 Year 11 (1849). Istanbul (Islambol) Mint. Abdul Mejid. NGC MS-61 Brown." This type is noted for years 8-16, then its weight was reduced to 0.8-0.9 g (KM 665.2) and later to 0.5-0.6 g (KM 665.3, starting year 18). This is a low mintage date yet is awarded no premium in the SCWC.
Recorded mintage: 165,000.
Specification: 1.0-1.1 g, copper.
Catalog reference: KM-665.1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay, Ottoman Empire Coins, Istanbul: Mas Matbaacilik A.S., 2007.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, including Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection and Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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