Delhi AH 734 tanka
This specimen was lot 34443 in Heritage sale 3135 (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $3,904. The catalog description[1] noted, "India: Sultans of Delhi. Muhammad III bin Tughluq gold Tanka AH 734 (1333/1334) AU58 NGC. A luxurious double pentafoil type, offering clear calligraphy drenched in a bright lemon-hued luster." The sultans of Delhi struck an extensive series of gold coins (Fr-402 thru Fr-502) starting about AH 589 (1193 AD). Most of the rulers had very short tenures but Mohammad III survived twenty-six years (AH 725-752).
Wikipedia comments,
"The...Sultanate of Delhi was a late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent, for more than three centuries. The sultanate was established around c. 1206–1211 in the former Ghurid territories in India. The sultanate's history is generally divided into five periods: Mamluk (1206–1290), Khalji (1290–1320), Tughlaq (1320–1414), Sayyid (1414–1451), and Lodi (1451–1526). It covered large swaths of territory in modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, as well as some parts of southern Nepal."
The sultanate reached its territorial maximum during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq, reaching from Kashmir to Madras and from the Indus to Bengal. His issue of debased coinage encouraged counterfeiting and disrupted trade.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, this specimen 10.99 g.
Catalog reference: G&G-D345.
- Album, Stephen. Checklist of Islamic Coins. Santa Rosa, 1998. Stephen Album.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2026 September 1 - 5 ANA World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction #3135, featuring The Vila Rica Collection of Brazilian Gold Coins, Part II, and The Grundy Collection of Latin American and Spanish Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2026.
Link to:
- Delhi AH 733 tanka, Muhammad III bin Tughluq
- Delhi AH 736 tanka = 1335
- Coins and currency dated 1333