Catalog
Para - Ahmed III
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1704 |
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| Value | 1 Para (1⁄40) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by the elaborate tughra of Sultan Ahmed III, rendered in the characteristic Ottoman calligraphic style with sweeping loops and vertical strokes rising above a horizontal baseline. The tughra is surrounded by a plain inner border, with the overall design occupying most of the flan. The hammered fabric produces a slightly irregular, concave surface typical of early eighteenth-century Ottoman minor coinage. No additional legends or decorative devices are present outside the tughra composition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | أحمد |
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| Additional information |
Ahmed III came to power in 1703 through a Janissary revolt that deposed his brother Mustafa II — a chaotic beginning that destabilized Ottoman finances before his reign had properly started. The para was the empire's workhorse small change, and issues from his early years reflect the monetary disorder of that transition, with production spread across multiple mints operating under inconsistent supervision.
KM#69 specimens frequently show irregular flans, a consequence of the hand-cut blank preparation methods still standard at Ottoman provincial mints in this period.