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Zolota - Mustafa III Islambol mint
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1758 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | KM#316 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | The reverse field is filled entirely with a multi-line Arabic calligraphic inscription in bold thuluth script proclaiming the sultan's imperial titles: 'Sultan of the two lands and Emperor of the two seas, the Sultan son of [regnal number] the Sultan.' The regnal accession number appears as a numeral within the field legend. As on the obverse, the design is bounded by a plain inner circle and a continuous outer beaded border. No figurative motifs are employed, adhering strictly to the aniconic tradition of Ottoman coinage. The deeply incised lettering fills the field in a monumental and highly stylized manner. |
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| Additional information |
Mustafa III came to power in 1757 inheriting a treasury gutted by decades of costly warfare and the financially ruinous peace settlements that followed. The zolota — itself a borrowing from the Polish złoty, reflecting how deeply Levantine trade with Eastern Europe had shaped Ottoman monetary vocabulary — was a denomination perpetually caught between the empire's aspirations and its debased coinage reality. The .465 fineness here is not a minting anomaly but deliberate policy: systematic debasement was one of the few tools the Porte had left for generating short-term fiscal relief.