Item number: A1332

Year: AD 1818 (AH 1234)

Material: Gold

Size: 26.0 x 26.0 mm

Manufactured by: Istanbul

Provenance: Heritage Auction 2024

This is a 2 “Rumi Altın” gold coin minted during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire. The term “Rumi” in “Rumi Altın” was commonly used during the Ottoman era to denote “Roman” or “of the Roman region,” particularly referring to the Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantine Empire. The word “Altın” translates to “gold.”

The coin features a beaded edge, with the obverse displaying Mahmud II’s tughra, flanked by two roses to the right. Surrounding the tughra is an intricate pattern of winding vines or floral motifs, with an additional outer border consisting of beaded decoration. The tughra itself contains the Sultan’s name and title. On the reverse side, the coin also features a circular border of vines or flowers, with Arabic inscriptions indicating the year of the Sultan’s rule, the minting location, and the year of the coin’s production. This particular coin was minted in Istanbul in the year AH 1234, corresponding to the 11th year of Mahmud II’s reign.

“Altın” can be regarded as another widely used term for the “Sultani” gold coin in the Ottoman Empire. Among the various gold coins minted, the “Sultani” was the most widely circulated on the market. From the late 15th century until the 17th century, “Sultani” gold coins dominated the Ottoman monetary system. However, after 1697 and through the mid-18th century (1754), a variety of new coin types emerged, leading to a gradual decline in the monopoly of the “Sultani” on the market.

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.

物件編號: A1332

年代: 公元 1818 年 (回曆1234年)

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 26.0 x 26.0 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，於蘇丹馬哈茂德二世在位時所鑄造的2「魯米·阿爾滕」金幣，「魯米·阿爾滕」當中的「魯米」在鄂圖曼帝國時代常用來表示「羅馬的」或「羅馬地區的」，特別是指東羅馬帝國，「阿爾滕」意思則是「黃金」。「魯米·阿爾滕」金幣邊緣有邊齒，正面可見馬哈茂德二世的花押，花押右邊有兩朵玫瑰，花押外圍圍繞者蜿蜒的藤蔓或花卉圖樣，更外一層有邊框，邊緣為珠點樣式，花押的內容是蘇丹的名字及稱號。金幣背面也圍繞了一圈藤蔓或花卉圖樣，並且中間用阿拉伯文標示著統治者掌權的年份、鑄造地，及錢幣鑄造年份，而這枚金幣是在回曆1234年，馬哈茂德二世在位的第11年於伊斯坦堡所鑄造。

「阿爾滕」可以說是對鄂圖曼帝國對「蘇丹尼」金幣另一種較廣泛的稱呼，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後，「蘇丹尼」金幣才逐漸不再獨霸市場。

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。