OTTOMAN TUNIS
Abdul Mejid (1255-1277ah / 1839-1861ce)
5 riyals 1263ah (1846ce) AR 15.89g Fen 288, KM 107 R vf; sm. rim crack Abdul Mejid initiated widespread currency reforms soon after becoming sultan. Consequently, new standards for coinage were introduced – in gold as well as silver – throughout the Ottoman Empire. Although certain outposts, such as Tunis, would eventually strive for independence from Istanbul, these reforms remained intact until 1922ce when the Ottoman Empire was ultimately dissolved. For his own part, Ahmad I, Bey of Tunis, also made numerous reforms in the coinage of his country. Too, it is important to note that all coins were minted mechanically from this time forward, no longer by hand.