A RARE SELİM III SQUARE AKÇE FROM THE MINT TUNIS
Kenneth M. MACKENZIE
Mr. Cüneyt ÖLÇER described on interesting silver coin in his book on the coins of Mahmud II. It was in the Paris Museum and he gave in a number 996/9, on the obverse side the legend was inscribed: Sultan Mahmud and the reverse side bore the legend Duribe fi Tunis 1228, is was square 8x8 mm.
Twelve years before that coin was struck Selim IIIs name appeared on a similar coin with the date 1216, it is 9x9 mm. the obverse legend being: Sultan Selim... and the reverse: Duribe fi Tunis 1216.
The Bey, Hamuda b. Ali struck this coin in Selims name. He had installed a new mint in the rue de la Hafsia which had been a cannon foundry, and placed in under the control of the Treasurer General to be directed by the chief of the mint -Anime es-sikke. His prime task was to ensure that the coins were struck properly in the names of the Ottoman sultans ruling at that time which were Abdul Hamid I, Selim III, Mustafa IV and Mahmud II. The Beys name of course was not included in the legend on any of the coins.
When Hamuda Pasha succeeded his father he was a young man of 23 years and Tunis was prosperous. He increased its prosperity by careful management of the state revenues but unfortunatefy history records that a few years after the square akçe was struck his Prime minister absconded to France wiîh the treasure chest of the Beylik and the pashas protege and ex-slave Khair ed-Din was sent to France to obtain his extradition. After six years the mlssion was declared a failure and he returned home only to find that Hamuda Pasha had died.