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Besparalik - Mahmud I Kostantiniyye mint
| Issuer | Ottoman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1731 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Para (1/8) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features the elaborate tughra (imperial cipher) of Sultan Mahmud I prominently occupying the upper field, rendered in intricate calligraphic relief with characteristic looping and diagonal strokes. Below the tughra, a two-line Arabic inscription in the field records the mint name Kostantiniyye (Constantinople) and the regnal year 1143 AH. Small floral or rosette ornaments are visible in the margins flanking the inscription. The overall design fills the flan in the dense, intertwined calligraphic style typical of early 18th-century Ottoman coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The besparalik — literally "five paras" — emerged as a practical response to chronic small-change shortages that plagued Ottoman commerce throughout the early eighteenth century. Mahmud I came to power in 1730 following the Patrona Halil rebellion, a violent janissary-led revolt that deposed Ahmed III and briefly placed real power in the hands of a former Albanian sailor. The new sultan's early coinage reforms were as much about reasserting imperial financial credibility as meeting transactional need.
Kostantiniyye issues of this type were struck in billon at a fineness that reflected ongoing debasement pressures rather than any single policy decision.