Mughal Empire (AH 1164)/3 rupee KM-446.20
This specimen was lot 2625 in Steve Album Auction 51 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2025), where it sold for $102. The catalog description[1] noted, "MUGHAL: Ahmad Shah Bahadur, 1748-1754, AR rupee, Balwantnagar, year 3, attractive surfaces, XF." The Balwantnagar mint struck this type years 1 thru 7. This example bears only a regnal date and no AH date. The town is now called Jhansi and is located in Uttar Pradesh. It was taken and retaken by the Mughals and the Marathas before the Marathas captured it for good in 1767.
Wikipedia notes, "Ahmad Shah Bahadur, also known as Mirza Ahmad Shah or Mujahid-ud-Din Ahmad Shah Ghazi (23 December 1725 – 1 January 1775) was born to Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. He succeeded his father to the throne as the 13th Mughal Emperor in 1748 at the age of 22. When Ahmed Shah Bahadur came to power, the Mughal Empire was collapsing. Furthermore, his administrative weaknesses eventually led to the rise of the usurping Feroze Jung III. He was emperor in title for six years, but left all affairs of state to rivalling factions. He was deposed by the Vizier Feroze Jung III and later blinded along with his mother. He spent the remaining years of his life in prison and died of natural causes in January 1775."
Recorded mintage: unknown but a common mint.
Specifications: 11.0-11.6 g, silver, this specimen 11.29 g.
Catalog reference: KM-446.20.
- Album, Stephen, Checklist of Islamic Coins, 3rd Ed. Santa Rosa, Stephen Album Rare Coins, 2011.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 51, featuring the Howard Daniel III Collection of Asian Coins, the Almer H. Orr III Collection of World Coins and the Joe Sedillot Collection of German Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
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