Kachar (1644-81) 1/4 tanka
This specimen was lot 952 in Stephen Album sale 45 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2023), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description[1] noted, "KACHAR: Virdarpa Narayana, 1644-1681, AR ¼ tanka, ND, legends hara gauri charana para // sri sri vira darpa narayana; single-circle and single-circle, with pellets in each of the lunettes, VF, RRRR, ex David Cashin Collection. There is one example on Zeno and one on CoinArchives, both of them this piece! The ruler is called Bir Darpa in the KM catalog." The SCWC comments, "Very little is known about this obscure state, and the only time that coins were struck in any quantity was during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. ...the small kingdom was saved from Muslim domination by its isolation and lack of economic worth." All the coins depicted in the SCWC are rare. This is listed as a quarter rupee in the SCWC with a catalog value double that realized in this sale.
Recorded mintage: unknown but common.
Specifications: silver, this specimen 2.43 g.
Catalog reference: R&B-55.1 (this piece), Zeno-128947, KM-127.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [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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