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Auction: 7018 - Dr R Ferrari English Crowns, R Wilson Scottish Coins, A Louise Irish Coins, K MacKenzie Ottoman Coins & Other Propertie
Lot: 566

Ottoman, countermarked coinage (c.1880-1922), a collection of AE coins (170), mostly of Ottoman or Egyptian origin, but also of Bulgaria (1), Monaco (1), Russia (1) and Tunis (1); countermarks comprise Greek monograms, short legends in Turkish-Arabic, tughras and emblems, ascribed to the following mints: Ayvalik: Kydoniae; Bayramic (Anatolia); Dardanelles; Lemnos: Kaminia; Lesbos (Mytilene): Agiasos (Asomatos), Akrasi, Almari, Antissa, Eresus, Kalloni, Klio, Kournelo, Lisvori, Mantamados, Mesotopos, Midilli, Papados, Petra, Pigi, Pilmar, Plagia, Plomarion, Polihnitos, Poros, Potamos, Sigri, Skalahori, Vatousa, Vrissa; Nigrita: Serres; Rhodes: Archangelos; Symi; Thasos: Kallirahi, Kastro, Limenas, Mariai, Panagia, Potamia, Prinos, Rahoni, Sotiras, Theologos, Vourgarao, Vouzi; Tripoli (el-Trablus); Yunda Island, some with multiple countermarks, all different or on different host coins, identified in labelled envelopes, host coins generally worse than very fine, countermarks selected for clarity, hence mostly very fine to extremely fine (170) Estimate £ 2,300-2,600 These Ottoman countermarked coins are being offered in one lot as they comprise an important reference collection, the basis for the book ´Countermarks of the Ottoman Empire 1880-1922´ by K.M.MacKenzie and S.Lachman, Hawkins Publications, 1974. However, the collection has been given reference numbers in accordance with Hans Wilski´s more recent volume ´Countermarks on Ottoman Coins´, Gutersloh, Germany, 1995. They were generally authorised by religious institutions and municipalities of the easternmost Greek islands and western Asia Minor in response to a severe shortage of small change in the latter half of the 19th century. Although locally produced metal bracteates, cardboard and paper money was also used as currency at this time, the basis of this collection is demonetized Turkish and Egyptian copper coins bought in bulk and countermarked locally to a new and purely local rate.

Sold for
£4,400