Watch List notes:

Ayyubid, al-Mu'azzam Turanshah (647-648h) dinar, al-Qahira 648h, obv. field: al-malik al-mu'azzam/Ghiyath al-din Turanshah/(bin/al-malik al-Salih/Ayyub, 21.5 mm., wt. 4.27gms. (not in Balog, unpublished), about extremely fine and as far as is known unique. Paul Balog has the following to say about the circumstances behind the issuance of this coin: 'When news of the invasion of Egypt by the French king Louis IX (St. Louis) and the Crusaders reached him the father of Turanshah, al-Salih Ayyub, was already very ill. He travelled to the Nile Delta in order to direct the military operations in person, but died in his camp on 15 Sha'ban 647 h. During the next several days his death was kept secret until the Crusaders were routed by his troops. Then his son, al-Mu'azzam Turanshah, was hastily summoned from his princely residence at Hisn- Kayfa. He arrived in Damascus late in Ramadan and was proclaimed Sultan the next day. He remained there for three weeks, was persuaded to proceed on to Egypt, and finally arrived in Mansura after another month. He was, however, present when the Frankish army, totally crushed, surrendered and Louis IX was taken captive. However, Turanshah speedily alienated the Egyptian Mamluk amirs by his rudeness and by favouring his own courtiers, which was part of his plan to establish his own authority. When he began to threaten the Egyptian Mamluk nobility personally, rebellion broke out and he was murdered at the end of Muharram 648 h. With his assassination Ayyubid rule of Egypt ceased; many authorities date the end of the Ayyubid Empire from this time.' While Turanshah's silver coinage is very rare, this is the first time a gold coin struck in his name has come to light. (£15000 - 18000)