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1 Rial - Abdulmecid I and Muhammad II thick legend
| Issuer | Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1856-1857 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Rial |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field bears a prominent multi-line Arabic legend identifying Muhammad, Regent of Tunisia, accompanied by the Hijri date below the main inscription. The legends are rendered in thick, boldly struck Arabic script characteristic of the thick-legend variety (KM#117.1). The inscription is encircled by a graceful wreath of olive or laurel branches tied at the base with a decorative ribbon knot. A finely toothed or beaded border frames the entire design at the periphery, consistent with the milled coinage of the Husainid Beylik under Ottoman suzerainty. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Tunisia in the 1850s occupied an uncomfortable dual position: nominally an Ottoman province under Abdülmecid I, but functionally governed by the Husainid beys, with Muhammad II Bey pushing hard toward administrative autonomy. The coinage of this period reflects that tension directly — both the Ottoman sultan and the Tunisian bey appear on the same coin, a compromise neither side could entirely refuse.
The thick legend variety, cataloged as KM#117.1, distinguishes itself from the contemporaneous thin legend type through die characteristics rather than any change in monetary policy. The distinction matters to specialists; the two types circulated simultaneously.