Malwa (1436-69) tanka Fr-634
This specimen was lot 23268 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $1,980. The catalog description[1] noted, INDIA. Sultans of Malwa. Tanka, ND (AH 839-873 [1436-1469]). Shadiabad Mint. 'Ala al-din Mahmud Shah I. NGC MS-64. An impressive and wholesome near-Gem, this SCARCE Tanka delivers a refined luster and much sparkling beauty that shimmers throughout the flan. Despite the date being off flan, much in the way of impressive details remains, along with a crisp and fully refined strike." The Sultans of Malwa ruled their state in central India from 1392 to 1562 and issued a number of gold coins based on the tanka. Some of them are actually not rare. This ruler issued a tanka and half tanka and various fractions thereof. The state was conquered by Akbar and was made part of the Mughal Empire.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 10.9-11.4 g, gold, this specimen 11.04 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-634; G&G-M21.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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