Ottoman Empire Turkish Mangir Suleiman II Hammered Coin 1687 KM-87.2 Descriptive Folder

To Western eyes, this coin looks unfamiliar. On the obverse, where we are used to seeing the bust of an emperor, queen or president, we find an unusual calligraphic monogram design known as a tughra, the official insignia of the Turkish sultan, whose Muslim faith prohibited using his image on his money. The ornate Arabic script is illegible to anyone raised on the Latin alphabet. Even the unit of currency—the mangir—sounds strange. For centuries the currency of the Ottoman Empire was confined to silver and gold coins. In the 17th century, after decades of war and with precious metals in short supply, hammered copper coins called mangirs were struck. To compensate for the lesser metal, Suleimans new coin design departed from the crude coins of the era, being well struck with a more aesthetically pleasing design, making use of the tughra. We are fortunate to be able to offer this genuine historical coin—one of a few rare examples of this period to have survived over the centuries in near perfect condition.