Mughal Empire AH 1034/19 1/2 rupee
This specimen was lot 54109 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $9,600. The catalog description[1] noted,
"INDIA. Mughal Empire. 1/2 Rupee, AH 1034 Year 19 (1624). Surat Mint. In the name of Nur Jahan and Jahangir. NGC MS-65. While there are many commendable coins from the Mughal series, perhaps no emperor's coinage has as many intriguing issues as the coinage from the reign of Jahangir. What makes this coin amongst the most desirable and RARE issues is that the coin is issued in the name of both Jahangir and his twentieth wife, Queen Nur Jahan. Nur Jahan is the only Mughal Queen to have coinage issued in her name, and one of the few queens to do so in the entire course of Islamic history. At the tail end of Jahangir's reign, he gave Nur Jahan an increased mandate to help run the empire, with issuing coinage part of this purview. Rupees and Half-Rupees were produced at several mints over the course of a few years. After the death of her husband, Nur Jahan's position became more precarious, as she attempted to retain a privileged position by having her stepson Shahryar Mirza crowned. Another stepson, the future Shah Jahan was not sympathetic to this effort, and had his brother killed, and seized the crown he claimed was rightfully his. After firmly establishing control of the Empire, Shah Jahan declared it a capital offense to trade with coinage from Nur Jahan, and ordered all such coins recalled and destroyed. As such, very few examples remain today, a testament to a unique and unreplicated time in the history of the Mughal Empire.
Many examples that do survive are in pitiable condition, with shroff marks or effacement of the Queen's name being the most common faults. This example provides a refreshing reprieve, as it is tremendously struck, with an intense visual appeal and Gem brilliance. The queen's name is bold and distinctive, with brightly sparkling white luster throughout. An example for which there are few corollaries, and a Half Rupee that should see much excited bidding."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 5.72 g, silver.
Catalog reference: KM-Unlisted; Liddle-S-154; Hull-1549.
- Album, Stephen, Checklist of Islamic Coins, 3rd Ed. Santa Rosa, Stephen Album Rare Coins, 2011.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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