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1/2 Zeri Mahbub - Selim III French Occupation
| Issuer | Egypt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1789 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Obverse displays multiple horizontal lines of Arabic calligraphic inscriptions filling the field, typical of Ottoman hammered gold coinage. The legends, executed in a bold naskh-style script, reference the Sultan's titles and lineage. The irregular flan and hand-struck technique produce slightly uneven margins characteristic of this issue. No central motif or border is present; the entire surface is occupied by the multi-line epigraphic design. The inscriptions read from right to left in the traditional Ottoman-Arabic manner. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
Selim III ascended the Ottoman throne in April 1789, the same year this coin was struck — months before Napoleon's Egyptian expedition would upend the region entirely. When French forces arrived in 1798, they initially permitted continued circulation of existing Ottoman coinage rather than imposing an immediate replacement currency, making coins of this type the everyday gold of Cairo during the occupation. The "French Occupation" attribution in the catalog reflects circulation period, not a change in issuing authority.
The .685 fineness is notably low for Ottoman gold of the period, a consequence of deliberate debasement policies that had been eroding the zeri mahbub since the mid-18th century.