East India Company, Bengal Presidency, Benares Mint: Fourth phase, silver Rupee in the name of ‘Shah ‘Alam II (1173-1221h/1759-1806), 1229h, frozen yrs 17/49 [1815-20], sikka zad bar haft kishwar saya fazl ilah hami din muhammad shah alam badshah [defender of the religion of Muhammad, Shah ‘Alam emperor, shadow of the divine favour, put his stamp on the seven climes], fish and sun symbols, rev. zarb muhammadabad banaras sanah 49 julus maimanat manus [struck at Muhammadabad Benares in the 49th year of his reign of tranquil prosperity], edge grained right, 11.37g/12h (Prid. 289 [Sale, lot 646]; Stevens 7.145; KM. 42). Obverse good very fine, reverse very fine, old cabinet tone [certified and graded NGC AU 55] £120-£150

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Puddester Collection.

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Collection

H.M. Lingford (Bishop Auckland, UK) Collection [from Baldwin (London) May 1947], ticket
Bt Baldwin (London) August 1986, ticket.

Owner’s ticket.

The fourth phase commenced with the introduction of machinery in 1815, while a fifth and final phase from the early 1820s witnessed the installation of presses from Farrukhabad and Calcutta, although the laminating rollers then in use gave continuing problems and resulted in many defective blanks. Prompted by the retirement of the assay master, Dr Yeld, a proposal to close the Benares mint was endorsed in April 1829 and the final coins were struck in January 1830