Owner Comments:
AH 1327 Year 7 (1915/1916). Heritage auctioned this as "Year 9 1916-1917". Actually NGC was right, this is year 7, that's what the little "v" on top of the squiggly in the bottom third of the obverse means. It looks like a "9" not a "v" for year 9. This coin, then, is from year 7. NGC has graded 8 of these in any condition, including this coin. The next year, year "8", has only one graded example at NGC.
This specimen is from a series struck in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Muhammed V (r. 1909-18). This denomination was introduced during the rule of Sultan Abdul Mejid (r. 1839-61). Ottoman coins were dated using regnal years; the reverse bears the date AH 1327 (= 1909 A.D.) while the obverse bears the regnal year 9 (= AH 1335). The Hejira calendar uses a lunar year instead of a solar year, so its starting date moves from year to year. This type was issued AH 1333-1336 (1915-18); the SCWC prices them all the same. The last gold 100 kurush of this size was issued in 1929, under Ataturk's Republic.
Recorded mintage: 1,232,090 for years 7-8.
Specification: 7.22 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM-776, Fr-160 (formerly Fr-57).