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Onluk - Abdülmecid I Kostantiniyye mint
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1839-1843 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | The tughra of Sultan Abdülmecid I occupies the central field, rendered in the ornate calligraphic style characteristic of Ottoman imperial monograms, featuring the sultan's name and titles in intertwined Arabic script with characteristic upward strokes (tuğ). The tughra is enclosed within a continuous wreath of stylized leaves and branches that frames the entire design. The flat field surrounding the tughra shows no additional inscription. Weight is known to vary between 0.60 and 0.80 grams across the series. |
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| Mint | Kostantiniyye (Constantinople) Mint |
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| Additional information |
The onluk was part of the sweeping monetary overhaul launched under the Tanzimat reforms of 1839, the same administrative restructuring that reshaped Ottoman civil law, taxation, and military conscription in a single decree. Abdülmecid I, barely sixteen when he ascended, was pushing a modernized billon coinage into circulation while simultaneously negotiating the aftermath of the Near Eastern Crisis — Egypt's Mehmed Ali had just forced the Ottomans to the brink of territorial collapse.
The .170 fineness placed these coins at the lower edge of anything meaningfully silver, and they were treated accordingly by the public.