Catalog
5 Para - Abdulmecid I
| Issuer | Egypt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1839-1844 |
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| Value | 5 Para (0.00125) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The elaborate calligraphic tughra of Sultan Abdulmecid I occupies the central field, rendered in raised relief with characteristic interlocking loops, vertical shafts, and sweeping baseline typical of Ottoman imperial monograms. The numeral denoting the denomination appears below the tughra in Arabic script. The coin is bordered by a toothed or dentilated rim encircling the entire design. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a three-line Arabic inscription in the central field, reading the phrase 'Struck in Egypt' (ضرب في مصر) with the mint name Misr (مصر) prominently displayed, and the Hijri accession year 1255 (١٢٥٥) inscribed below. The regnal year, indicating the year of reign, appears above the main legend. A toothed dentilated border surrounds the entire reverse field, consistent with the obverse treatment. |
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| Additional information |
Abdülmecid I ascended the Ottoman throne in 1839 at age sixteen, the same year the Tanzimat reforms were proclaimed — a sweeping reorganization of imperial administration that restructured provincial minting authority across Egypt and the broader empire. Egyptian copper issues of this period reflect that transitional moment, produced under the nominal suzerainty of Constantinople while Muhammad Ali's autonomous rule in Cairo meant local mint practices diverged considerably from Istanbul's standards.
KM#222 is known with date variations across the regnal years covered, and weight consistency across surviving examples is unreliable — a predictable outcome given Egyptian mint conditions of the 1840s.