Tag: Turkish State Mint

Artists whose designs were used on Turkish currency

We compiled the list of artists who created the designs of the coins and banknotes of Republic of Türkiye.

Most of the coins were produced by artists employed by the Mint, and most of the banknotes by the engravers of the Central Bank’s Banknote Print, yet in the early periods of the Republic, foreign experts were consulted and the works of artists participating in occasional competitions have also taken place on commemorative and circulation coins.

Artists whose designs were used on Turkish currency:

(dates in brackets indicate the year which the artist’s first design ewas released into circulation.)

Artists who were awarded degrees in competitions, but whose designs were not used on coins:

Artists whose artwork is used on currency indirectly:

*designers of some of the coins and most of the banknotes are missing from the list. It will be updated as new information surfaces.

cover photo: 2018 annual report of the Turkşsh Stete Mint

Suat Özyönüm

Born in 1951, the artist enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in 1974. With encouragement from his professors Şadi Çalık and Hüseyin Gezer, he started working for the State Mint in 1977. However, he shortly quit to focus on his studies.

One year after graduating from the academy in 1980,  he was invited by the State Mint and so he joined the staff. In 1986 he was sent to Italian Mint in Rome on a five-month programme to study contemporary coin making techniques.

He retired from the Turkish State Mint in 2006.

Exhibitions he took part in:

  • 1976 – Participated in the Open-Air Painting Exhibition at the Archaeological Museums.
  • 1978 – Took part in the YDGSA Higher Sculpture Department Student Group Exhibition.
  • 1978 – Participated in the State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition.
  • 1979 – Opened his first solo sculpture exhibition at Nur Art Gallery.
  • 1979 – Participated in the State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition.
  • 1979 – Took part in the 2nd Art Festival events.
  • 1981 – Participated in the 3rd Istanbul Art Festival “New Trends” Exhibition.
  • 1981 – Joined the contemporary mixed sculpture exhibition at Maçka Art Gallery.
  • 1981 – Took part in the mixed painting and sculpture exhibition at Moda Fine Arts Gallery.
  • 1984 – Participated in the 12th International Istanbul Festival “Contemporary Artists 5th Istanbul Exhibition.”
  • 1993 – Held a Unique Medallion and Sculpture Exhibition at Sadberk Hanım Museum.
  • 1994 – Opened a sculpture exhibition at Foks Art Gallery.
  • 2001 – Participated in the exhibition “Meeting with Sculpture on the 78th Anniversary of the Republic” at Akbank Art Center.

Awards he received:

  • 1979 – Received First Prize in the Osman Hamdi Sculpture Competition.
  • 1987 – Received two honorable mentions in the State Medals and Orders competition organized by the Prime Ministry.

Coins he designed and engraved during his tenure at the State Mint:

  • 1977 FAO Food and Shelter for Everyone acmonital 2½ and 5 Lira and a silver commemorative coin with face value of 50 Lira
  • 1981 International Year of Disabled People gold 30.000 Lira
  • 1983 FAO 16th October World Food Day, silver 1.500 Lira
  • 1983 60th anniversary of the Turkish Republic commemorative coin (the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk) *1)
  • 1984 1 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1984 5 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1984 10 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1984 50 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1984 100 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1984 United Nations, Decade for Women silver and gold commemoratives
  • 1984 50th anniversary of Turkish Women obtaining the right to vote and the right to run for office
  • 1984 20 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1985 25 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1985 FAO 9th World Forestry Conference Mexico
  • 1985 World Youth Year
  • 1986 International Year of Peace, gold and silver commemoratives
  • 1987 International Year of Shelter for the Homeless
  • 1988 50 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1988 100 Lira commemorative coin; Mexico strike the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk (*2)
  • 1989 500 Lira circulation coin; the obverse bearing the effigy of Atatürk
  • 1989 500 Lira commemorative coin; Mexico strike
  • 1989 Teachers Day 24th of November
  • 1990 1.000 Lira circulation coin; both faces
  • 1990 1.000 Lira circulating commemorative “Love Our Environment”
  • 1991 2.500 Lira circulation coin; both faces
  • 1991 Yunus Emre Year of Love
  • 1991 Ahmet Adnan Saygun commemorative
  • 1992 5.000 Lira circulation coin; both faces
  • 1992 Winter Olympics – Albertville, France
  • 1992 Summer Olympic Games – Barcelona, Spain
  • 1994 10.000 Lira circulation coin; both faces
  • 1994 World Football Championship two commemoratives with face value of 50.000 Lira
  • 1995 Protected Nature #1 – Bald Ibis
  • 1995 T.B.M.M. Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi 75. Yılı
  • 1995 Polis Teşkilatının 150. Yılı
  • 1995 Korunan Doğa #2 – Caretta Caretta
  • 1996 50.000 Lira tedavül parasının ön ve arka yüzleri
  • 1996 Habitat II Kent Zirvesi
  • 1996 Korunan Doğa #3 – Akdeniz Foku
  • 1996 Hulusi Behçet
  • 1996 Korunan Doğa #4 – Kardelen
  • 1997 İstanbul Kültür Varlıkları #1 – Kız Kulesi
  • 1998 Hasan Ali Yücel
  • 1998 Lozan Barış Antlaşması’nın 75. Yılı
  • 1998 Cumhuriyet’in 75. Yılı Setinden:
    • Cumhuriyet ve Lozan
    • Cumhuriyet 2000
  • 1998 2 EURO, 500.000 Lira
  • 1998 10 EURO 2.500.000 Lira
  • 1999 100.000 Lira tedavül parasının ön ve arka yüzleri
  • 1999 Tam Güneş Tutulması temalı iki tip hatıra para
  • 1999 Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun Kuruluşunun 700. yılı
    • Osmanlı Arması
    • İlk Osmanlı Parası
    • Osmanlı Minyatür Sanatı
  • 1999 FAO XXI 21. Yüzyıl Gıda Güvenliği (XXI Century Food Security)
  • 2000 Geleneksel Türk Tiyatrosu #1 – Hacivat ve Karagöz
  • 2000 Birleşmiş Milletler Binyıl Zirvesi
  • 2001 Binyılın Türkleri – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Madalyonu
  • 2001 Cahit Arf
  • 2001 Türkiye’nin Kuşları – Kelaynak (Geronticus Eremita)
  • 2002 Türkiye’nin Çiçekleri – Antalya Süseni (Iris Pamphylica)
  • 2004 Binyılın Türk’leri – Nazım Hikmet Ran
  • 2005 T.B.M.M. Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi 85. Milli Egemenlik Yılı
  • 2005 tedavül paralarından 1, 5 ve 10 Kuruşların tura yüzünde yer alan Atatürk portreleri
  • 2009 tedavül paralarının tamamında (1, 5, 10, 25 ve 50 Kuruş ile 1 Lira) tura yüzünde yer alan, ilk olarak 1984 yılı 1, 5, 10, 20 ve 50 Liralıklarda yer alan Mustafa Kemal Atatürk portresi.

İlk kez 1984 yılı FAO Balıkçılık altın parasının yazı yüzünde kullanılan ve 1984’ten itibaren para setlerinde görülen Darphane logosu kendisinin eseridir (*27, Sf. 73, 74 & 75).

İstanbul Darphanesi Logosu

Darphane’deki diğer eserleri:

Other Works at the Mint

  • Grand National Assembly of Turkey medallion
  • 40th anniversary of NATO commemorative medallion with the slogan “Peace in Freedom”
  • 1990 medallion with the slogans “Love People, Protect the Environment” and “Everything is for People – The Environment is a Trust”
  • 1998 Habitat II Istanbul Urban Summit medallion
  • Gold-plated key to the city and box, produced for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

 

[1] The reverse was the handiwork of Hakkı Baha Çavuşgil (*27, p 68).

[2] Workers of the Mint went on strike between June 23 and October 19, 1988. Some of the circulation coins were struck at the Mexican Mint. 10 million 100 Lira coins dated 1988 and approximately 66 million 500 Lira coins dated 1989 were minted in Mexico using molds produced in Istanbul. In addition to the circulation coins produced, one thousand silver 100 and 500 Lira commemorative coins were minted. These commemorative coins, which were kept in the Turkish Mint for a while, were offered for sale to registered collectors in 1995 (*27, p 100).

 

* See all the artists who contributed to the designs of Turkish Republican coins and banknotes here.

İsa Avni Kumuk (1934 ~ 2017)

Isa Avni Kumuk, was born in 1934 in Samsun to a family of Caucasian descent. He was involved with his family business of jevellry-making at the early age of six. He was quite interested and competent in maths during elementary school and and was even nicknamed Pisagor (Pythagoras). after his graduation from high school in 1953, he started his own workshop at the Grand Bazaar as a jevellry-maker and engraver. He was admitted to Istanbul Technical University as the 12th applicant.

He worked for the Turkish State Mint between 1964 and 1976  first as a technical personnel, later as the head of engraving workshop and technical consultant. During his service, he was appointed to examine the Spoonmaker’s Diamond to authenticate and measure its dimensions.

He designed many circulation and commemorative coins after 1970. His technique was compared to Giampaoli‘s.

50 Kurus piece released in 1971 was his handiwork. After visiting an exhibition of traditional Anatolian clothes, administrators of the mint asked him to come up with a portrait of a woman in traditional Anatolian head dress. The owner of said exhibition Sabiha Tansug was photographed in the Ankara Headpiece, but in order not to portrait any significant person, Avni Kumuk cut out her face and completed the portrait with an imaginary average Turkish woman.

 

Around 1976, the head of the State mint – also a prominent poet Cemal Süreya –  was instructed to decommission old machinery of the mint. Avni Kumuk convinced him to keep the machinery for display.

After his work at the Mint had ended, in 1982, he started his own company called International Goldart İstanbul, and produced over 700 medals, badges, pins and emblems ordered by several private companies and Turkish Numismatics Association. He received several awards by Turkish and international, private and public institutions.

Commemorative and circulation coins he designed and produced:

1970:

  • 25 Lira silver coin commemorating the 50th anniversary of the TBMM – Grand National Assembly of Turkey
  • Acmonital 2½ Lira with the obverse bearing Ataturk on a tractor; minted part of the FAO programme.

1971:

  • 50 Lira silver coin commemorating 900 years of  Battle of Manzikert
  • Bronze 10 Kr, Ataturk on a tractor; part of FAO programme,
  • Acmonital 50 Kr circulation piece with a woman wearing Anatolian headdrress.

1972:

  • silver 50 Lira commemorating 50th anniversary of the Victory of August the 30th
  • golden medals commemorating victory of Battle of Dumlupınar

1973:

  • 50 and 100 Lira silver and 500 Lira gold coins commemorating 50th anniversary of the Republic

1974:

  • 5 Lira circulation piece bearing Ataturk’s statue in Samsun

1975:

  • Aluminium 5 Kurus part of FAO programme

1976:

  • Aluminium 5 and 10 Kr and acmonital 5 Lira of the FAO series

1978:

  • FAO acmonital 50 Kurus, 1 and 2½ Lira
  • FAO acmonital 5 Lira and silver 150 Lira
  • FAO gold 500 Lira,
  • FAO gold 1.000 Lira

1979:

  • FAO  bronze and aluminium 1 Kuruş
  • FAO acmonital 50 Kuruş and 1 Lira,
  • FAO acmonital 2½ and 5, also silver 150 Lira
  • FAO gold 500 Lira,
  • FAO gold 1.000 Lira,

1980:

  • FAO bronze 10, acmonital 50 Kurus and 1 Lira,
  • FAO gold 500 Lira

Some of the medals he produced:

for the Turkish Armed Forces:

  • First and Second degree Honour Medals
  • First and Second degree Pride Medals
  • Medal of Distinguished Service
  • First and Second degree War Medals
  • Emblem of the Turkish Army (Turkish Land Forces)
  • Turkish Army commemorative medallion

for various establishments:

  • commemorative medallion for the 500th anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople / İstanbul
  • commemorative medallion for the inauguration of 15 July Martyrs Bridge (named Bosphorus Bridge when first opened)
  • commemorative medallion for the inauguration of Haliç (Golden Horn) Bridge
  • medallion commemorating Saudi King Faisal’s visit to Türkiye
  • medallion commemorating Islamic Conference in Istanbul

Avni Kumuk was also interested in painting, he was not only a skillful artist, but also a competent engineer. After the intervention to Cyprus by Turkey in 1974, he contributed to complicated parts the defence industry needed and that had to be domestically produced.

He was a member of the industrial advisory committee of ITU Mechanical Engineering Faculty. He assisted many public and private companies with their intricate designs of parts and dyes.

Father of 2 sons, Avni Kumuk worked until his last minute with the principle of giving back to the society.

 

Click here for a page dedicated to Avni Kumuk’s works.

*We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the family of the artist, for their invaluable contribution to this article.

Percy Metcalfe (1895 ~ 1970)

Percy Metcalfe
Percy Metcalfe, CVO, RDI,
Photo by Bassano Ltd  © National Portrait Gallery, London

His name is first mentioned in Turkish numismatics literature as “Sculptor of the London Mint; Mr. Medkaley“ in the 1955 Catalogue by Turkish numismatist and actor Behzad Butak.

Behzat Butak quotes “Mister Medkaley” from a proceedings report of GNAT (Grand National Assembly of Türkiye) from 1944.

(While the forms of the new Republican gold coins were being discussed, Finance Minister Fuat Ağralı elaborates that Metcalfe was invited for the effigy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and that he also made an effigy of İsmet İnönü. Upon criticism on why a foreigner was tasked to create the president’s effigy, Metcalfe’s skillset as a coin engraver is emphasised) His name is misspelled most probably due to a transliteration error.

Royal Mint’s involvement with the Turkish coins, dates back to 1933. In September of that year, Deputy Master and Controller of the Royal Mint, Sir Robert Johnson visited Istanbul and the capital Ankara. He had learned that the Turkish Gov’t was planning of minting new coins with the new alphabet, hence he offered Royal Mint’s services to the Turkish Government. But was not successful in securing an order for minting the new coins. However, the relations between the two mints remained active and Percy Metcalfe visited Turkey in 1935 (*Royal Mint Annual Report of 1934, Page 17).

He was meant to produce an effigy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, however he was requested to work on designs for the whole set of six coins.

Turkish circulation coins that bear Metcalfe’s designs:

  • 50 Kuruş 1935 ~1937
  • 25 Kuruş 1935 ~1946 (The 25 Kr pieces minted between 1944 to 1946 retained the same reverse as Metcalfe designed, however their obverse was changed to a crescent and star)
  • 10 Kuruş 1935 ~1940
  • 5 Kuruş 1935 ~1943
  • 1 Kuruş 1935 ~1944 (after 1938, these coins were converted into an undulated form)
  • 1 Lira 1937 ~ 1939
  • 1 Lira 1940 ~ 1941

Metcalfe’s family donated some of his work to the British Museum. Among those, there are the early drafts of the 1935 coins’ designs:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/AUTH232341

1935 10, 5 ve 1 Kuruş Tura yüzü deseni.© The Trustees of the British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1613746593 © The Trustees of the British Museum
100 Kuruş 1935 taslak Deseni© The Trustees of the British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1613746587 © The Trustees of the British Museum
100 Kuruş 1935 taslak© The Trustees of the British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1613746592 © The Trustees of the British Museum
1 Lira 1935 Taslak deseni© The Trustees of the British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1613746588 © The Trustees of the British Museum
50 Kuruş 1935 taslak deseni© The Trustees of the British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1613746581 © The Trustees of the British Museum
25 Kuruş 1935 taslak deseni© The Trustees of the British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1613746589 © The Trustees of the British Museum
5 Kuruş 1935 desen taslağı, © The Trustees of the British Museum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/1613746590 © The Trustees of the British Museum

The newspapers of the period, indicate that several coin designs were considered at the time. 50 Kr piece was initially a variant of the 1934 100 Kr piece by Ali Cemal Bey. However, eventually Metcalfe’s designs were used; probably for consistency within the set.

 

RMAC papers of the Royal Mint have a record of a 1 Lira model depicting a stylized art-deco wolf from 1935. Around that time, the denomination of 100 Kurus was being changed as 1 Lira.

The models of the said design are kept by the Royal Mint Museum archives. Records show that it was criticised in-house (RMAC Papers dated 31/10/1935) and was minted only in a couple of samples for the evaluation.

Grey Wolf was indeed a Turkish symbol and was used on some of the first banknotes. It was even considered to be a main figure as an emblem for the Turkish Republic. However, Atatürk rejected that idea, hence such coins were never minted.

Royal Mint Annual Report of 1938 also mentions (*page 16) that Metcalfe won a contest for the new gold coins’ design but Sir Johnson states that he believes after Ataturk’s death those coins would probably not be minted.

Yet, Royal Mint Museum holds models of the effigy of İsmet İnönü (second president of the Turkish Republic), and the gold and silver coins minted after 1940 bear that effigy by Metcalfe.

 

Form comparison between 1938 second type 1 Kr and Egyptian 5 Milliemmes

1 Kurus pieces minted between 1938 and 1944, were in an undulated form so that they wouldn’t be confused with the silver 25 Kr pieces of the same diameter. Said coins resemble the coins of Iraq and Egypt, which were made by Metcalfe. This could be interpreted as the cooperation between the British and the Turkish Mints was still active at the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percy Metcalfe, served in the Royal Mint from 1924 to 1948. Effigies of King George VI and many other nations’ rulers were his handywork. among his most famous were the Barnyard Set made for Free Irish State.

As a new dominion, Free Irish State considered having its own currency. For this purpose, an international competition was held in 1926. among 66 submissions, Metcalfe’s designs were selected. The animals, which some are related to hunting and some to farming, were assigned face value based on their status; the horse being the noblest and the woodcock being the humblest.

At first there was significant criticism that a nation seeking independence from the English rule is now going forward with coins “designed by an Englishman, denominated in the English way, and made at the English mint“. However, as Nobel laureate Yeats puts it “the coins have been designed to please those who look longer at each coin than anybody else; artists and children”, hence they were universally admired.

 

Coin set of Free Irish State; woodcock (farthing), pig and piglets (halfpenny), hen and chicks (penny), hare (threepence), wolfhound (sixpence), bull (shilling), salmon (florin) and horse (half crown). Collectively known as the Barnyard Collection

During his time at the Royal Mint, with the reputation he gained from the Free Irish State coinage and the support from Sir Robert Johnson, Percy Metcalfe produced many models for various countries. Some of these are; Mihai the 1st of Romania, Boris the 3rd of Bulgaria, Faisal and Ghazi of Iraq, Fuad and Farouq of Egypt, Demeter and Poseidon portraits on the Greek coins of 1930.

 

Article main photo; Percy Metcalfe working on plaster model of Boris the 3rd of Bulgaria Photo: HenryMooreInstitute

*We would like to thank World of Coins forum users <k>, africancoins and forum admin Peter Kraneveld for providing the fundamental lead on Percy Metcalfe’s contributions to the Turkish coins and also David Mason, Public Engagement & Information Officer and other staff of the Royal Mint Museum who provided invaluable information on Metcalfe’s work within their archives.

Ali Cemal

Ali Cemal was the designer of the 1934 100 Kurus silver coins.

He submitted his work to the contest organized in 1934 for the new coins with the new alphabet. Although his models initially won second place in the jury’s decision, they were also sent to the capital for further consideration. Eventually his models were used for the 100 Kuruş pieces.

 

 

 

Ahmet Mesrur Durum (1873 ~ 1952)

Designer of the last coins of the Ottoman Empire and also the first coin series of the Turkish Republic minted between 1924 – 1928.

Also known as Mesrur İzzet Bey, he has been serving the Istanbul Mint since 1905 and is also the designer of the Turkish Medal of Independence.

He studied sculpture at the Fine Arts School (later called “Istanbul Fine Arts Academy, today named Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University).

He has worked in several fields, including sculpture, painting, philately, and numismatics, and has designed a significant amount of medals for various establishments.

The Republican Era coins he has designed are:

  • 100 Para 1924 ~1928
  • 5 Kuruş 1924 ~1928
  • 10 Kuruş 1924 ~1928
  • 25 Kuruş (nikel) 1925 ~1928
  • 25 Kuruş (1/4 Altın Lira, Meskuk) 1926 ~1929
  • 25 Kuruş (1/4 Altın Lira, Ziynet) 1927 ~1928
  • 50 Kuruş (1/2 Altın Lira, Meskuk) 1926 ~1929
  • 50 Kuruş (1/2 Altın Lira, Ziynet) 1927 ~1928
  • 1 Lira (Ankara Gold Bullion) 1926 ~1929
  • 1 Lira (bullion Gold, Monnaies de Luxe) 1927 ~1928
  • 2,5 Lira (Ankara Gold Bullion) 1926 ~1929
  • 2,5 Lira (bullion Gold, Monnaies de Luxe) 1927 ~1928
  • 5 Lira (Ankara Gold Bullion) 1925 ~1929
  • 5 Lira (bullion gold, Monnaies de Luxe) 1927 ~1928
  • 10 Para 1936 (This smallest denomination coin was exempt from the contests of 1934, first drafts were announced in 1934. Newspapers and the magazines published photo of the models but it was introduced into circulation firstly in 1940.
  • 2005 Yılı 50 Yeni Kuruş (New Kurus) obverse bearing Atatürk facing right is also based on a reused model from his works of 1933.

His life and works are published in detail in a two volume book by Celil Ender & Orhan Okay (2003 & 2004 Turkish Numismatics Society Publications)