Tripura (1667-76) 1/8 tanka
This specimen was lot 2269 in Stephen Album sale 45 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2023), where it sold for $228. The catalog description[1] noted, "TRIPURA: Govinda Manikya, 1660-1661, 1667-1676, AR 1/8 tanka, ND, lion left, border of pellets // 2-line legend sri govindah, choice VF, R, ex David Cashin Collection. Surprisingly, the 1/4 and 1/8 tanka are not as rare as Govinda's full tanka!" The SCWC comments, "The coins of Tripura are unusual in that the majority have the name of the king together with that of his queen, and is the only coinage in the world where this was done consistently. In common with most other Hindu coinages of northeast India, the coins bear fixed dates. Usually the date was that of the coronation ceremony...." The Tripura kingdom existed before the coming of the Mughals in the sixteenth century. The Mughals managed to seize the flat part of the kingdom but were never able to penetrate the hill districts. The British established a protectorate over the kingdom in 1809. They called the state "Hill Tipperah" to distinguish it from a district in Bengal state called plain "Tipperah". Altho surrounded to the north, west and south by Bangladesh, it is still today part of India.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.30 g, silver, this specimen 1.34 g.
Catalog reference: KM-132, R&B-214.
- 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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