Turkey: Metcalfe's alternative portrait of President İnönü

[<k>]

In 1935 Percy Metcalfe designed a new series of coins for Turkey. Click on the link below to read more about them:

Turkey's modernised coinage of 1935

In 1937 Metcalfe's obverse and reverse designs for the 1 lira coin were finally issued. See below. The obverse carried a portrait of President Atatürk.

[<k>]

President Atatürk died in 1938. He was succeeded by İsmet İnönü.

The first 1 lira coin bearing a portrait of the new president was issued in 1940. See below. This coin type was also issued in 1941.

[<k>]

I am very grateful to the Royal Mint Museum, who recently sent me an image of this plaster by Percy Metcalfe. It portrays İsmet İnönü, whose portrait had appeared on a previous Turkish coin as early as 1923. The remaining data about this piece is scarce, but I believe it dates to 1935, when Metcalfe was producing the new design series for Turkey.

[<k>]

A similar image that the Royal Mint Museum sent me.

[<k>]

The images here are courtesy of the Royal Mint Museum, to whom I am very grateful. Their website is well worth a visit:

The Royal Mint Museum

[<k>]

İsmet İnönü was also the first prime minister of the Republic of Turkey. As an important statesman, he had appeared on some of the Turkish bullion coinage in 1923. Below you see his portrait on a gold 500 kurus coin of 1923. I do not know who designed this portrait, but I post it here so that you can compare it with Metcalfe's plaster.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

[chrisild]

Interesting that the name was actually not used on the issued coins. By the way, that motto on the last piece - Hakimiyet Milletindir - sounded familiar to me but I did not remember why and how ... and voilà. It is from the constitution but was also used during the attempted military coup three years ago ...

Christian

[quaziright]

It doesn’t say 500kurus anywhere on the coin? What’s the 20 under the date

[chrisild]

Not sure whether the face value is explicit (edge maybe? probably not with gold, but I don't know) or implicit, as in, a 250 kuruş piece is always 18.04g and a 500 kuruş (5 lira) piece is 36.08g. The nominal value is not that important anyway, as these coins commemorate anniversaries of 1923 when the Turkish Republic was founded.

Such a bullion piece will always say "Türkiye Cumhuriyeti 1923", followed by the year of the republic. So "year 20" should mean that the coin is from 1943, etc. As far as I know, these bullion coins are still minted these days, at least the version with Atatürk's portrait ...

Christian