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 Replies: 12 / Views: 6,960 |
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New Member
Greece
7 Posts |
Hello, First of all, I am really happy I found such a great community of collectors. Now, on my conundrum, I found this ottoman lira and I cannot, for the life of me, say when it was minted and what does it say?  Which coin is it? When was it made? Can anyone please help me? Thank you in advance, Bubble |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2490 Posts |
It looks like it could be a Turkish 50 Kurush from AH 1327/1. In the unlikely event that I'm right,  then it should be gold, weigh 3.6 gr and cost a heck of a lot as only 6,276 were minted. The bad news is that it has been mounted which will reduce the numismatic value of a coin. And 1327/1 in our calendar is 1908. |
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New Member
 Greece
7 Posts |
Thank you for your reply alanbagerap :)
it weights around 35 grams, which is close to what you estimated.
So it's from 1908? Wow!
As for being mounted, can I not unmount it somehow? It looks like there are just these six "clips" holding it on place. Is it irreversibly damaged?
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2490 Posts |
The coin I'm talking about weighs only 3.6 grams not 35. And please don't remove the clips yourself. In fact don't let anyone remove them until you've had some other answers on this forum.
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New Member
Greece
7 Posts |
Oh, I was only mistaken by a factor of 10 then! Sorry :)
I won't touch the clips
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Pillar of the Community
United States
645 Posts |
500 Kurush. Coin weight should be 36.1 grams plus the weight of the mount.
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New Member
Greece
7 Posts |
Thank you DCH :)
I see, it makes sense to be 10 times heavier than the 50 Kurush. Tomorrow I will weight it with more precision.
How about the date, is it indeed 1327/1? (Where does someone sees that anyway?)
Edited by Bubble
05/01/2012 01:04 am
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2889 Posts |
The obverse side - shows the denomination as 500 kurush. That's at the very bottom. It's the circle and two dots. The reverse shows the date as 1327 / and the 1 on the obverse again (near the centre) says it's the first year of that reign.
It should be gold, weigh 17.5g, and have a mintage of 39,028. However as it doesn't weigh that and appears to be silver, it's likely a jewelers copy made for wearing as jewelry.
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New Member
Greece
7 Posts |
Thanks Bacchus2 L)
The lighting is too much in the photos, for reference, the mount and chain are 22k gold (that I know) and the coin does have similar color.
So it is made (or appears to be) of gold.
I searched and wasn't able to find a gold coin with the same signs on it, is it really possible it is a counterfeit?
Edited by Bubble
05/01/2012 02:23 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2605 Posts |
Hello, Bubble, and welcome! Quote:
How about the date, is it indeed 1327/1? (Where does someone sees that anyway?)  Anno Hejira 1327 is when Sultan Muhammad V acceded the throne (AD 1909) And the coin was minted in his first year of reign, so still 1909. |
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New Member
Greece
7 Posts |
Wow thanks svslav! This really cleared the confusion in my head!
So, now that I know what it is, what should I do about the mount?
Could an expert help me remove the clips and unmount it without damaging it or should I keep it the way it is?
Again, thanks for all the help so far! :)
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Moderator
 Australia
16849 Posts |
The key problem is, most of the folks that did this to coins aren't trying to preserve the numismatic value - they're trying to make a piece of jewellery that looks pretty and won;t fall apart easily. The coins are very often damaged when they attach the mount.
You can try take it to a jeweller and get their opinion. But if the coin has been damaged in the mount, then it's worth more as an intact piece of jewellery than it would be worth as a dismounted coin.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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New Member
Greece
7 Posts |
Thank you for your reply Sap :)
I see, maybe it's best to keep it as it is for now then, I suppose a jeweller can't tell if it's damaged unless they pry it from the mount, and dismounting it may damage it further, right?
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Replies: 12 / Views: 6,960 |
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Posted 04/30/2012 6:02 pm
