We know Vahe. He is an accomplished collector from Madrid. We have encouraged him to get a coin catalog, rather than write to CoinQuest. (Vahe, there is easily 1000 times more information in a good catalog than you find here on CoinQuest.) We are tempted to hit the 'delete' button, but Vahe always submits interesting requests. His coin from Turkey is no exception.

Vahe has a kurush coin from the Abdul Hamid II Sultanate. The coin is dated AH1293, which is seen in the lower portion of the reverse side. Use our decoding table below for eastern Arabic numerals to decipher the 1293. This Muslim date is equivalent to Gregorian date 1876AD, which is the base year of the coin. Subsequent years are counted by small numerals on the other side of the coin. The coin in our picture is dated AH1293 + 11 = AH1304 = 1885AD.

Here are some approximate catalog values for these coins. As always on CoinQuest, you must use our Important Terminology page to convert these catalog values to actual buy and sell values. These values apply only to coins that do not have damage, such as spots, scratches, cleanings, nicks, and gouges. All denominations have the same patterns. See this CoinQuest page which describes the corresponding 1 and 2 kurush denominations.

5 KURUSH (22 mm diameter, 0.161 troy ounces silver)
worn: $3 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $6
well preserved: $12
coins with years 1 and 2 are somewhat rare and worth $80 in average circulated condition
coins with years 3, 4, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 are somewhat rare and worth $40 in average circulated condition

10 KURUSH (22 mm diameter, 0.161 troy ounces silver)
worn: $6 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $18
well preserved: $80
coins with year 1 is rare and worth $300 in average circulated condition
coins with years 12 and 13 are rare and worth $100 in average circulated condition

20 KURUSH (35 mm diameter, 0.161 troy ounces silver)
worn: $12 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $24
well preserved: $40

If you have a coin dated 1293 and the year 1, it may be a kurush of Murad V and not Abdul Hamid II. Coins of Murad V are generally more valuable than those of Abdul Hamid II, but the only way to tell them apart is to decode the tughra. Consult an coin expert for help with this. Murad V coins have only year 1, not other years.