413

Nawabs of Surat - Silver 1/2 rupee in the name of Shah Alam II

Currency:INR Category:Coins & Paper Money / Indian Coins - Princely States, Maratha & Sikh Start Price:0.00 INR Estimated At:3,000.00 - 3,500.00 INR
Nawabs of Surat - Silver 1/2 rupee in the name of Shah Alam II
For absentee bidding- Bid on www.FalconAuctions.in
Nawabs of Surat - Silver 1/2 rupee in the name of Shah Alam II, RY 5(1/2/3?), 5.80 grams. The series with posthumous RYs of Shah Alam struck at Surat is intriguing. KM attributes these coins to 'French India' - however, the French had no interest in Surat after the takeover of the port city by the East India Company in 1800. Another suggestion is that these coins were struck unofficially by the Thakore of Bhaunagar, but good metal quality and a near-continuous run for several years make the suggestion of 'unofficial' copies implausible. It is more likely that they were struck by the Nawab from another mint in the city, and distinguished by the fact that they had a running RY as against British issues which had it frozen at 46.VF+, Very Scarce.