Turkey AH 1293(27) 500 kurush Fr-146
This specimen was lot 2216 in Jean Elsen sale 158 (Brussels, March 2024), where it sold for €1,900 (about US$2,471 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"OTTOMAN EMPIRE, Abdul Hamid II (AD 1876-1909/AH 1293-1327) AV ziynet 500 kuruş, AH 1293, year 27, Kostantiniye. Monnaie de luxe. Weak strike. Very Fine. (Turkey, Abdul Hamid II, 1876-1909, gold 500 kuruş, year 27, Constantinople mint, monnaie de luxe. Weak strike, Very Fine.)"
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 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 is the same weight as the regular five hundred kurush but is much larger module and a more elaborate design. Altho far fewer were made, they are priced the same as the regular issue, suggesting that they were extensively saved. The last gold 500 kurush of this size was issued in 1929, under Ataturk's Republic.
Recorded mintage: 1,428.
Specification: 36.08 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 35,64 g.
Catalog reference: Ölçer, Murad V, 34202; Pere - (type 978); KM 746; Fr-146 (formerly Fr-44).
- [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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