Item number: A1345

Year: AD 1730 (AH 1143)

Material: Gold

Size: 18.8 x 18.2 mm

Manufactured by: Istanbul

Provenance: Heritage Auctions 2024

This is a “Zer-i Mahbub”gold coin minted during the reign of Sultan Mahmud I of the Ottoman Empire. The coin features a milled edge, and on its obverse side, Sultan Mahmud I’s “Toughra ” (imperial monogram) is visible. The “Toughra” includes the Sultan’s name and title, his father’s name, the mint location, and the phrase “Always Victorious,” a common inscription found on Ottoman Empire coins. The reverse side contains four lines of Arabic text, which translate to: “Sultan of the two lands, Sovereign of the two seas, Sultan by inheritance, Son of a Sultan.” The “two lands” refer to Asia and Europe, while the “two seas” denote the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

In the early sixteenth century AD, the Ottoman Empire’s currency system was generally divided into three types. The first and most valuable were gold coins, typically used by merchants, money changers, financiers, high-ranking officials, and medium or large-scale business owners for major transactions. Gold coins were also frequently used for payments of salaries, rewards, and ransoms by the Ottoman government, and were widely circulated within political and administrative circles. The second type of currency was the “akçe”, a silver coin that held a lower value than gold. The “akçe” was the most commonly used currency in the Ottoman Empire, often used in small-scale daily trade, and was frequently subject to debasement by government policy. The third and least valuable type was the “mangir”, a copper coin used primarily for minor daily transactions.

Among the gold coins minted by the Ottoman Empire, the “Sultani” coin was the most widely circulated in the market, dominating from the late fifteenth century through the seventeenth century AD. However, between AD 1697 and 1754, several new types of gold coins emerged, including the “Zer-i Mahbub”. The term “Zer-i Mahbub” translates to “Beloved Gold.” This coin, along with others, continued to be minted by the Ottoman government until the early nineteenth century AD. Gold coins minted in Istanbul consistently maintained high standards, resulting in a gold content significantly higher than that found in coins minted in regions such as Egypt, Tripoli, and Tunisia.

物件編號: A1345

年代: 公元 1730 年 (回曆 1143) 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 18.8 x 18.2 mm

製造地: 伊斯坦堡

來源: 海瑞德拍賣 2024

這是一枚出自鄂圖曼帝國，於蘇丹馬哈茂德一世在位時所鑄造的「澤爾伊·馬布」金幣，這枚金幣，其邊緣有邊齒，正面可見馬哈茂德一世的花押，花押的內容包含蘇丹的名字及稱號、蘇丹父親的名字，鑄幣地點以及「常勝不敗」這種常見於鄂圖曼帝國硬幣上的標誌語句。金幣背面有四排阿拉伯文，其意思為：「兩地之蘇丹、兩海之可汗、蘇丹繼承者，蘇丹之子。」「兩地」指的是亞洲和歐洲，「兩海」則是指地中海與黑海。

鄂圖曼帝國在十六世紀早期的貨幣大致可分為3種，首先是價值最高的金幣，通常用於商人、貨幣兌換商、金融家、高階官員、中型或大型製造業經營者等人物所進行的交易活動中，金幣也經常使用於鄂圖曼政府的薪資支付、賞賜、贖金交付等目的，普遍流通於政界與行政機構中。價值次於金幣的貨幣是「阿克切」銀幣，是鄂圖曼帝國最主要使用的貨幣 ，經常用於日常中小額的貿易活動當中，並且時常被政府主導的貨幣貶值所影響。最後則是價值最小的「曼格爾」銅幣，主要用於日常小額交易當中。

在鄂圖曼帝國鑄造的金幣當中，最主要流通於市場的的是「蘇丹尼」金幣，自公元15世紀晚期至17世紀「蘇丹尼」金幣長期主宰著市場。而在公元1697-1754年期間出現了多種新種類的金幣，其中一種便是「澤爾伊·馬布」。「澤爾伊·馬布」的意思是「被珍愛的黃金」，「澤爾伊·馬布」與其他種金幣一直持續被鄂圖曼政府鑄造直到公元19世紀早期，並且在伊斯坦堡所鑄造的金幣始終堅持一定的水準，因此其含金量遠比在埃及、的黎波里、突尼西亞等地所鑄造的金幣要來得高。