Ottoman Empire coin or something else?

[arok]

Could anybody help me to identify this item, please?
As far as I understand, the face side looks like Ottoman Empire 1223AH/20 Mahmud II (Adli) coin. Probably 3 qirsh, but smaller size. And I am totally confused with the reverse.
My friend has three items like this. They look to be identical.
Any ideas, what could it be?

 

[cillosis]

I don't know if this will help but there is a book you can read on Google Book Search (read online for free) called "A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire" at the following link:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Htk3Wn789EQC&printsec=frontcover

I tried to google around and I can see what you mean with the obverse looking like these Ottoman coins...but I couldn't find ANYTHING resembling the reverse. Is it possible it's been modified? Is there a seam along the edge where something else was attached? Just an idea...

 

[arok]

I also suspect that it was modified. By the way, I was told that the reverse should be read as “Ibrahim Adli” or something like that. Still, it does not explain me that much.
Thanks for the book link. I will go through it tomorrow. Hopefully, that will help.

 

[Montana Jim]

Early 1900s Ottoman coin, possibly from the Mohamed series?

 

[Mackaydon]

I read the Islamic date as 1223, which equates to our Gregorian date of about 1808, as Jim notes below. This was during the short (1807-1808) reign of Mustafa IV
Don.....

 

[StogieJim]

Hi,

That's pretty good. I collect world coins and I've never seen anything like it. Perhaps you already know; the date is on the right hand image near the rim (between the two 'flowers'). It looks like 1223 which is 1808 (622 years difference). But, see the 20 above? Then it's 1223//20 which is 1826.

I'm trying to track it down in my reference book. I think the diameter has been reduced. See the little details the red arrows are pointing to? That's what's left of a wreath of flowers. This is based on a coin with a very similar reverse. (Turkey, 1 1/2 Kurush, 1223/28, silver, ~1" dia., see image below) My book has nothing for 1223/20 with the reverse like the 1223/28.

I bet the obverse of your coin has been modified (pressed, carved, ) from the original as it is nothing like any of the Turkish coins from the period.

All the best,

Jim

 

[Mackaydon]

Could the "20" be the denomination or an anniversary/commemorative date?

 

[72cheyenne]

Looks like it has been re-cut to a smaller size. What is the diameter of the coin in question vs. the original size?

 

[arok]

It seems to me that this coin was re-cut to smaller size too. As well as StogieJim I noticed that there are some remains of the drawing matching outer parts of the 1223/28 coin, which picture he attached.
Currently the size of my friend’s coin is 7/8 inch (23mm) in diameter. However, while 1223/28 coin (or some other similar coins I found myself) is made from silver, this one looks to be from brass or some other copper based alloy. It is not pure copper though.
The second side looks to be polished and re-stroked with this strange “Ibrahim Adli” sign. I would thing that it is kind of “love token”, but the fact that my friend has three identical peaces makes this theory less valuable.
I wonder if anybody can identify the mint city of the coin. I heard that it is usually written somewhere on Ottoman coins.
In general, I am looking for some story which could explain res-use and redesign of particular coin type for the new purpose. Something like re-stamping of Mexican and Dominican Republic coins in early days of Anguilla.
By the way, I could not find any picture of any other coin of 1223/20 year on the web. Does anybody else have one?

 

[StogieJim]

I was looking in "Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900" and none of the 1223/20 look anything like yours.

here it is on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Catalog-World-1801-1900-Century/dp/0896893731/?tag=treasurenet01-20

You could go to your local B&N and see if they have one on the shelves to look through.

Jim

 

[arok]

They do not have "Standard Catalog of World Coins” for 1801-1900 in Chapters (Canadian B&N). Only after 1900 (:
Anyway, thanks everybody for the help.
I will continue my research and let you know if I find something new.

 

[arok]

My friend actually found another very similar item.

The material and the size look the same. Reverse (3) with unusual Arabic inscription (Ibrahim Adli, as my friend with Arabic language skills reads it) is also the same. But the side which matches Ottoman coins pattern is different. It is apparently from 1223AH/9 (1).
The strange thing is that I have never been able to find any Ottoman coins of those two years anywhere on-line – I mean 1223AH/9 (1) and 1223AH/20 (2). I found one very similar but from 1223AH/11.
Does anybody have any pictures of Ottoman coins for these years?
I still could not find corresponding catalog with free access and frankly speaking a little reluctant to buy a new just for this purpose.
Besides, my fried reads inscription on the coin-like side (1, 2) as Konstantinus – this means that these coin (or original prototype) was minted in what is currently Istanbul, doesn’t it?
By the way, other people suggest that these items are actually replicas from Ottoman coins, which were used as some kind of jewelry or other imitation of gold coins. Such things usually come with wholes – ready to wear. My friend’s items do not have a hole, but maybe it disappeared when the items were re-cut to smaller size. What is your opinion about this idea?