Turkey AH 1293(31) 25 kurush
This specimen was lot 78618 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2025), where it sold for $552. The catalog description[1] noted, "TURKEY. Ottoman Empire. 25 Kurush, AH 1293 Year 31 (1905/6). Istanbul (Islambol) Mint. Abdul Hamid II. NGC MS-64." 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 31 (= AH 1323). 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 years 7-34; some dates are listed with very low mintages but the SCWC prices them all the same. A twenty-five kuruş monnaie de luxe (KM 139) was also struck in this year.
Recorded mintage: 58,404.
Specification: 1.80 g, 0.917 fine gold, 45 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: Fr-145; KM-729.
- 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.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, November 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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