Mengli II Giray's reign was politically turbulent even by Crimean standards — he was deposed and reinstated multiple times by Ottoman decree, functioning effectively as an Ottoman appointee rather than an independent ruler. The 1738 issue falls during one of the periods when the khanate was fully subordinated to Istanbul's war aims, as the Russo-Ottoman War of 1735–1739 was still grinding through its final phase across the steppe frontier.
The beshlik denomination circulated primarily in local Crimean trade, with Ottoman piastre equivalencies governing exchange. KM#B23 remains a scarce type; the khanate's minting infrastructure was modest, and wartime disruption to the peninsula would have further constrained output.
Mengli II Giray's reign was politically turbulent even by Crimean standards — he was deposed and reinstated multiple times by Ottoman decree, functioning effectively as an Ottoman appointee rather than an independent ruler. The 1738 issue falls during one of the periods when the khanate was fully subordinated to Istanbul's war aims, as the Russo-Ottoman War of 1735–1739 was still grinding through its final phase across the steppe frontier.
The beshlik denomination circulated primarily in local Crimean trade, with Ottoman piastre equivalencies governing exchange. KM#B23 remains a scarce type; the khanate's minting infrastructure was modest, and wartime disruption to the peninsula would have further constrained output.