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Onluk - Mahmud I Kostantiniyye mint
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1730-1731 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 1 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by the elaborate tughra of Sultan Mahmud I rendered in fine calligraphic style, with the characteristic looped body and three vertical shafts rising above. A floral rosette ornament is positioned to the upper right of the tughra. Below the tughra, the mint name and regnal year appear in Arabic script: 'Darb fi Kostantiniyye 1143', identifying the Konstantiniyye (Constantinople) mint and the AH date 1143. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The onluk was struck in the opening months of Mahmud I's reign, which began under the worst possible circumstances: his predecessor Ahmed III had just been deposed in the Patrona Halil rebellion of September 1730, a janissary-led uprising that forced the abdication after years of resentment toward court extravagance during the Tulip Period. Mahmud came to power as a compromise figure and had Patrona Halil himself executed within weeks — a swift consolidation that stabilized the throne but left the treasury in disorder.
The billon standard at roughly 46.5% fineness reflects ongoing Ottoman silver debasement that had accelerated through the early eighteenth century, with the Kostantiniyye mint bearing the heaviest production burden of any imperial facility.