Fals - al-Ashraf Qa'itbay al-Qahira mint

Qa'itbay's reign (1468–1496) was the longest of any late Mamluk sultan and coincided with mounting Ottoman pressure, chronic treasury shortages, and repeated debasement of the silver coinage. Copper fals of this period filled a practical gap in small-denomination transactions that debased silver could no longer reliably serve. The Cairo mint was the most productive in the Mamluk system, but output was irregular — heavily dependent on available metal and the political will of the amir al-nuqqad overseeing currency operations.

Bal II#833 is a recognized type within a series where die workmanship varies considerably across the reign.