Egypt (Ottoman) 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 Qirsh 1876 to 1914

JamiesGirl posted a picture of her neat coin. It is a 1 qirsh coin from Egypt. The pattern indicates that it comes from the Abdul Hamid II era, 1876 to 1909AD. There are also coins that look extremely similar from Muhammad V (1909 to 1914AD) The actual date on the coin is shown in Arabic numerals (1293) in the Hejira calendar which started when the Prophet Muhammad was alive (in the 600s AD) and uses a lunar year with 354 days. Convert from Hejira to Western (Gregorian) dates using the IslamicFinder web site.

These are generally valuable coins because they are made of silver. Coins in superb shape, like the one in our picture, are worth much more than circulated coins. There are also coins with 1293 and 1327 dates that are made of copper, copper-nickel, and gold. This page applies to silver coins.

There are two components to dates on these coins. The authorization date is the data the king authorized coin production. Add to that the regnal year and you get the full date of the coin in Hejira (AH). In our sample, the authorization date is 1327 and the regnal year is 3.

If you have a coin like this and it is in good shape, consider seeking out a knowledgeable collector or coin dealer. There are a few coins with very subtle markings that can be worth much more than our listings below.

Here is a run-down of approximate catalog values. The authorization date is the date the king authorized production of the coin and the regnal year is the number of years that passed since the authorization date. The

1 QIRSH, 15 mm diameter, 0.038 troy ounces silver
worn: $2 US dollars catalog value
average circulated: $6
well preserved: $25
fully uncirculated (like our picture): $45
qirsh dated 1327/3 are more rare, multiply these values by six

2 QIRSH, 18 mm diameter, 0.075 troy ounces silver
worn: $3 US dollars catalog value
average circulated: $15
well preserved: $50
fully uncirculated (like our picture): $100
2 qirsh with authorization date 1293 are more common, divide these values by two

5 QIRSH, 25 mm diameter, 0.188 troy ounces silver
worn: $8 US dollars catalog value
average circulated: $15
well preserved: $30
fully uncirculated (like our picture): $60
5 qirsh dated 1327/2 are more rare, multiply these values by two

10 QIRSH, 32 mm diameter, 0.375 troy ounces silver
worn: $8 US dollars catalog value
average circulated: $25
well preserved: $90
fully uncirculated (like our picture): $150
10 qirsh dated 1327/2 and 1327/4are more rare, multiply these values by two

20 QIRSH, 39 mm diameter, 0.750 troy ounces silver
worn: $30 US dollars catalog value
average circulated: $100
well preserved: $200
fully uncirculated (like our picture): $350

Use our Terminology page to understand how catalog values work.
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