Posted 01/29/2010 03:33 am
Becoming jewellery pieces is a common fate for Ottoman gold and silver coins. It does reduce the value, but perhaps not all the way down to "melt" - mainly because for many ottoman coins, the actual bullion content for the coins is quite low.
The value also depends on which province they came from - Turkish and Egyptian coins are relatively common, but other provinces such as Tunisia and Libya are much scarcer.
I should also point out that there are many fake gold and silver "coins" around, which were made specifically for use as jewellery; here's one in this thread. We'd have to see some pictures to tell exactly what you've got.
The value also depends on which province they came from - Turkish and Egyptian coins are relatively common, but other provinces such as Tunisia and Libya are much scarcer.
I should also point out that there are many fake gold and silver "coins" around, which were made specifically for use as jewellery; here's one in this thread. We'd have to see some pictures to tell exactly what you've got.
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
