NEW FINDINGS OF COUNTERFEITS AND IMITATIONS OF OTTOMAN COINS FROM

OLD ORHEI

Dmytro YANOV
Cultural and Natural Reservation "Old Orhei"; Odesa archaeological museum of NAS of Ukraine.
nv63115@gmail.com

In 2020, the numismatic collection of the cultural and natural reservation "Old Orhei" was
replenished with 73 coins. They were discovered on the territory of the reservation by a private
individual who used a metal detector. Among them, three non-authentic coins of the Ottoman
Empire are of particular interest.
Both counterfeits and imitations belong to the category of non-authentic coins. However,
there is a difference between them. Bronze coins with silver plating, produced illegally to deceive
the population, are commonly referred to as contemporary counterfeits. Unlike them, imitations are
coins made of precious metal, although generally with a lower weight and fineness compared to the
original issues. They were produced by sovereign rulers or high-ranking officials with the aim of
supplying the internal and external markets with currency and copied those types that were in
highest demand.
The first coin (11.3 mm, 0.57 g) is a counterfeit akche of Bayezid II (1481-1512) minted in
Novar. It was made of bronze, with silver plating having been completely worn off. The legend on
both sides of the coin was inscribed practically with no errors, except for the word "sultan" on the
obverse. The second and third coins belong to the category of imitations. They were probably made
of silver. The second coin (10 mm, 0.48 g) imitates the akche of Selim I (1512-1520). The mint of
the original type is unknown. The third coin (9.4 mm, 0.24 g) was patterned after the late 16 th –
early 17th century akche, possibly of Ahmed I's reign (1603-1617). It is impossible to determine its
exact prototype due to the distorted legend. One can assume that the obverse legend, written in three
lines, resembles the words "sultan / (sul)ta(n) …hmed (?) / bin (?)". On the reverse, the words "azze
nasrühü / duribe …" can be distinguished. The closest original obverse type is type B of Ahmed I
(according to S. Srećković's classification), while the legend on the reverse is typical for early 17 th
century akches minted in Belgrade, Haleb, Canca, Tokat, and Kibris.
Counterfeit Ottoman akches have been discovered in Old Orhei previously. These were 5
forgeries of Murad II (1421-1444, 1446-1451) from a small deposit. However, based on the
characteristics of the legends, the examined coins were not produced at the same workshop as those
found earlier in Old Orhei.

Illustrations:
Findings of non-authentic Ottoman coins from Old Orhei: 1. Bayezid II, 2. Selim I, 3. Unknown
issuer.