Afghanistan AH 1258 rupee KM-173
This specimen was lot 839 in Stephen Album sale 45 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2023), where it sold for $480. The catalog description[1] noted, "DURRANI: Safqat Jang (b. Shah Shuja'), 1842-1843, AR rupee, Ahmadshahi, AH1258//1258, with the Arabic obverse inscription al-mulku lillah al-wahid al qahhar ("the kingship belongs to God, the One, the Almighty"), strong VF to EF. Appointed by the British upon their withdrawal from Qandahar at the end of Jumada II AH1258, forced out by Kohandil Khan very early into 1259 upon his return to Qandahar from exile in Iran, Safdar Jang was the last of the Durranis to ascend the throne. This type is A-3149S, not A-V3150, an error in our previous listings." In addition to Shah Shuja, other claimants to the throne in 1842 included Kamran Shah, Dost Muhammed, Fath Jang, Shahpur Shah and Yar Muhammad Khan Sadozai. There may have been others but those are the ones who had the time to strike coins.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 9.0-9.2 g, silver, this specimen 9.07 g.
Catalog reference: A-3149S, KM-173.
- Album, Stephen, Checklist of Islamic Coins, 3rd Ed. Santa Rosa, Stephen Album Rare Coins, 2011.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 45, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2022.
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