1863 Rare Egypt Bronze 4 Para Coin Countermark "A" for Atsiki Greece 1277H Yr 4
Description: A rare and very unusual very fine 1863/1964 (1277 AH/Year 4) four Egyptian Para bronze coin. The coin, which was struck in Cairo Egypt during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Aziz is very unusual in the sense that it is countermarked with the letter "A" for the Greek city of Atsiki on the island of Lemnos in the North Aegean Sea. The coin shows the tughra of the sultan with the denomination below it on the obverse. The reverse says Duriba Fee Misr, current day Fustat on the outskirt of Cairo Egypt, with the date 1277 under it. The year 1277 AH is the year Sultan Abdul Aziz ascended the throne. The number 4 above the letter "Beh" in "Duriba" indicates that the coin was struck in the 4th year of the sultan's reign or 1863/1964 AD. The reverse has the letter "A" bunched into it as a countermark. This coin is unlisted in Krause and it is unusual because of the fact that it is countermarked with the letter "A", for the Greek city of Atsiki on the island of Lemnos, which in usually hosted on coins struck in Qustantinyah or Constantinople and not Egypt. The coin when un-countermarked is listed in Krause as KM#240. This coin weighs about 2.3 grams and measures approximately ~22 mm in diameter. Although undocumented, we believe this is an authentic, rare, and very unusual coin. Please carefully review the scan as it is part and parcel of our description.
Date: 1863/1864AD - 1277 AH Year 4.
Mint: Egypt.
Size and Weight: This is a four para bronze coin, weighs ~2.3 grams and is ~22 mm in diameter.
References: It is KM #24 when not countermarked.
Condition: For international buyers, please note that the US postal rates for overseas shipping are very high and we are unable to change them. Additional charges will be incurred depending on the value of the item. Please check the cost of shipping before bidding. I would grade this coin as very fine with all the details being well preserved. This rare and unusual coin is countermarked with the letter "A" for the Greek city of Atsiki on the island of Lemnos in the North Aegean Sea. Such counter mark is normally hosted by Turkish coins of the time struck in Qustantinyah (or Constantinople) and not Egypt making this coin unusual and rare. It is clean and shows wear commensurate with its age and circulated status. Additionally, the punched A countermark resulted in the coin being slightly concave and a bit distorted. Additionally, it resulted in wear to the center of the obverse and also covers the legend on the reverse. Be that as it may, the coin still looks good and is much better than the photos suggest. It does have minor surface scratches and bag marks which can be seen in the photos. The coin has wear commensurate with its age and circulated status. Please see photo for additional condition information.
