Turkish Coins

Obverse of Turkish 100 Piastres of Abdul Hamid II Hejira Date 1293 = 1876 AD Countries Index Reverse of Turkish 100 Piastres of Abdul Hamid II Hejira Date 1293 = 1876 AD Obverse of 1973 500 Lire Reverse of 1973 500 Lire Obverse of 1997 100,000 Lira Reverse of 1997 100,000 Lira

Some of the Earliest Gold Coins Were Made in Turkey
The world's first coins were Greek coins made in Lydia about 640 BC, but the area of Lydia is now in present day Turkey, so that the relationship between Turkey and gold coins dates back over 2,000 years.

A Variety of Denominations
With this long history, it is no surprise that Turkey has produced many different denominations of gold coins, which include Sultani, Serifi, Yarim, Cifte, Tek, Istanbul, Dort, Luk, Onluk, Altin, Mahbub, Piastres and Lire.

A Neglected Series
Because of the use of the Arabic style Turkish inscriptions of most earlier Turkish coins, most western coin collectors ignore Turkish gold coins. Modern Turkish coins are not much easier to identify either. This means that any collectors of Turkish coins should be able to find many relatively cheap Turkish coins, which may include rare and potentially valuable items, provided he is prepared to more research than the average collector.

Turkish Gold Coins
As Turkish coins are not within our main areas of specialisation, any of our cataloguing of Turkish gold coins may be in error. It also means that most of our Turkish gold coins will be offered by type, and will be quite reasonably priced. We give brief specifications for some of the most recent and commonly encountered Turkish gold coins, followed by a stocklist of any Turkish gold coins we have for sale.

Denominations
The names kurush and piastre are interchangeable. Some catalogues show denominations in kurush, others in piastres. They are both the same.

Monnaies de Luxe
Since 1899 Turkey has issued some monaies de luxe. These were intended for presentation purposes or jewellery. They are issued at a slightly lower weight than their normal counterpart denominations, but the same alloy fineness, and of larger diameter but thinner, and from more ornate dies. We will denote these below by the abbreviation MDL.

Specifications
Technical specifications of the most frequently encountered Turkish gold coins.

Denomination	Diameter	Weight	Alloy	AGW
500 Piastres / Kurush	34	39.0800	0.9166	1.0638
500 Piastres / Kurush MDL	44.5	7.2160	0.9166	0.2126
250 Piastres / Kurush	27	18.0400	0.9166	0.5319
250 Piastres / Kurush MDL	39.5	17.5400	0.9166	0.5172
100 Piastres / Kurush	23	7.2160	0.9166	0.2126
100 Piastres / Kurush MDL	30	7.0160	0.9166	0.2069
50 Piastres / Kurush	17.8	3.6083	0.9166	0.1064
50 Piastres / Kurush MDL	22	3.5080	0.9166	0.1034
25 Piastres / Kurush	14.6	1.8041	0.9166	0.0532
25 Piastres / Kurush MDL	17.7	1.8041	0.9166	0.0532
10,000 Lire	26.5	17.00	.900	0.4900
100,000 Lire	13	1.2441	.9990	0.04

Key
Denomination = Face Value
Diameter = Approximate Diameter in millimetres.
Weight = Weight in grams.
Alloy = Fineness of gold.
AGW = Actual fine gold weight in troy ounces.
MDL = Monnaie de Luxe
Piastres = Kurush

Prices & Availability
The prices quoted in the US $ column may be out of date due to currency fluctuations.

Date	Other Date	Denomination	Description	Grade	Availability	Price £	Price $
1907	1325	100 Piastres	Abdul Hamid II	VF	Sold	£60	$95
1909	1327	100 Piastres	Abdul Hamid II	VF	Yes	£99	$198
1943	1923 + 20	250 Kurush	Ismet Inonu	about VF	Yes	£150	280
1956	1923 + 33	100 Kurush	Kemal Ataturk	EF	Yes	£65	$121
1957	1923 + 34	100 Kurush	Kemal Ataturk	EF	Yes	£65	$121
1964	1923 + 41	100 Kurush	Kemal Ataturk	EF	Sold	£60	$95
1964	1923 + 41	50 Kurush	Kemal Ataturk	EF	Yes	£40	$75
1965		500 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Sold	£295	545
1965		250 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£165	310
1966	1923 + 43	50 Kurush	Kemal Ataturk	EF	Sold	£40	$75
1966		50 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Sold	£40	$75
1966		25 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£30	55
1967		100 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£65	$121
1967		50 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£40	$75
1967	1923 + 44	25 Kurush	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£30	55
1968		100 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£65	$121
1968		50 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£40	$75
1969		50 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£40	$75
1971		50 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£40	$75
1982		10,000 Lire	UNICEF Year of the Child	Proof, about FDC	Ask	£225	$450
1988	1923 + 65	100 Kurush	Kemal Ataturk	EF	Yes	£65	$121
1993		100 Kurush MDL	Kemal Ataturk	almost Uncirculated	Yes	£65	$121
1997		100,000	King Croesus of Lydia	Proof	Yes	£35	$53

Notes
Other Dates = Either Hejira Date or Compound Date (e.g. 1956 = 1923 + 33).

Notes
Mintage = Quantity issued, where known, otherwise issue limit.
Avail = Availability

Gold Coins
For gold coins from Turkey, please see our Tax Free Gold website, particularly the Turkish gold coins page.

Postage & Packing:
UK: At buyer's Risk £2.50 or
Fully Insured £6 (Usually by Royal Mail Special Delivery)
USA: Airmail at buyer's risk $10 or
Fully Insured $20
For further details, please see our Postage & Packing page.

Order Form
Order Form - USA

Order Form - Rest of World

Coins Wanted
We make an active market in almost all world coins, gold or otherwise, including Turkish coins. If you have any of these coins to sell, please contact us, or post them to us for appraisal and offer.

If you want to find the value of a coin you own, please take a look at our page I've Found An Old Coin, What's It Worth?

If you have an enquiry about any of our Silver Coins, we'd be happy to answer you, but please note it may be quicker to telephone us. Please see the Contact Us page of our website.