Turkey AH 1293(27) 12-1/2 kurush Fr-151
This specimen was lot 2217 in Jean Elsen sale 158 (Brussels, March 2024), where it sold for €3,400 (about US$4,421 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "OTTOMAN EMPIRE, Abdul Hamid II (AD 1876-1909/AH 1293-1327) AV ziynet 12 1/2 kuruş, AH 1293, year 27, Kostantiniye. Monnaie de luxe. Very Fine - Extremely Fine." This specimen is from a series struck in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid (r. 1876-1909). Ottoman coins were dated using regnal years; the reverse bears the date AH 1293 (= 1876 A.D.) while the obverse bears the regnal year 27 (= AH 1319). The Hejira calendar uses a lunar year instead of a solar year, so its starting date moves from year to year. This monnaie de luxe had no corresponding circulation issue as the 25 kurush was the smallest circulating gold coin. It was made and sold to jewelers. The SCWC lists years 25-34 but not 27.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.877 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM 745 (unlisted date), Ölçer, Murad V, -; Sultan -; Fr-151.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 158, Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay, Ottoman Empire Coins, Istanbul: Mas Matbaacilik A.S., 2007.
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