Kutch AH 978 kori KM-56
The Indian Princely State of Kutch is located in a flat expanse of salt marshlands on the western border of India along the Arabian Sea. To the west is the Pakistani province of Sind. Though Kutch never could support a large population nor was endowed with natural resources, it remained a power due to its navy and notoriety as a transport hub for pilgrimage to Mecca. Partly due to its geographic isolation, Kutch was able to maintain a unique coinage system from its beginnings through to independence from the British in 1947. The first Kutch coins were modelled after those of Nawanagar, from which Kutch officially gained its autonomy in 1617 AD. This was also the year that Kutch obtained the rights to produce coinage in the name of its own rulers.
Shown is a silver kori from the rule of Desalji I (1719-1752 AD). It has a frozen date of AH 978.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: silver, 4.4 g.
Catalog reference: KM 56.
- Bright, Richard. The Coinage of Kutch. Dallas, TX: Numismatics International, 1975.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
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