The Puddester Collection (Part I)

East India Company, Bengal Presidency, Calcutta Mint: 19 Sun Sicca coinage, mule silver Rupee with obv. of the Calcutta/Murshidabad 1771-7 issue, in the name of ‘Shah ‘Alam II (1173-1221h/1759-1806), 1190h, frozen yr 19 [May 1777], naming Murshidabad, 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], crescent at left, rev. zarb murshidabad sanah 19 julus maimanat manus [struck at Murshidabad in the 19th year of his reign of tranquil prosperity], 11.62g/7h (Prid. 135a [not in Sale]; Stevens 2.166; Stevens website 1361c, first coin illustrated; KM. 85). Surfaces lightly marked on both sides from recent beneficial restorative cleaning, otherwise very fine, rare [certified and graded NGC AU Details: Shroff Marked Edge] £150-£200

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

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Collection

D. Fore Collection, Part III, Baldwin Auction 84 (London), 25-6 September 2013, lot 1818 (part).

Owner’s ticket and envelope.

In May 1777, following the order to close the mint at Murshidabad, Warren Hastings (1732-1818), the Governor-General at Calcutta, decreed that silver coins would continue to bear the name of Murshidabad but be struck at Calcutta and bear a fixed regnal year, 19. Some very early coins of the issue, such as this piece, utilised pre-existing 1190h (pre-February 1777) dated obverse dies. The Calcutta 19 sun sicca rupees are notoriously difficult to obtain with clear hegira dates and those in the following sequence of lots include some of the best pieces on the market in recent years