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500 Kurush - Mehmed V Constantinople
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915-1918 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | Central field bears a multi-line Arabic inscription enclosed within an elegant wreath of laurel and olive branches, tied at the base with a floral ornament. The inscription records the mint epithet, the mint city Constantinople (قسطنطينية), and the regnal year 1327 of the Hijri calendar. A single five-pointed star appears above the inscription at the top of the wreath. The coin exhibits a fine toothed border along the rim, consistent with the high-denomination gold coinage of the late Ottoman period. |
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| Additional information |
Mehmed V was effectively a figurehead sultan when these were struck, with real authority consolidated under the Committee of Union and Progress — the Young Turks who had dragged the empire into the First World War on the side of the Central Powers. Large gold coinage of this type was never intended for everyday commerce; issues at this weight served state financial obligations, military contracting, and the kind of transactions that required portable, unambiguous value in a period when Ottoman paper currency was rapidly losing credibility among creditors.
The Constantinople mint — Dersaadet — was under considerable strain during these years, managing both wartime demand and the logistical disruptions of a multi-front conflict. KM#784 pieces from the later war years show measurably inconsistent striking pressure.