Mughal Empire IE 48 1/2 mohur Fr-735b

Sincona sale 90, lot 1318

This specimen was lot 1318 in Sincona sale 90 (Zurich, May 2024), where it sold for 28,000 CHF (about US$36,999 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"INDIEN Mughal Empire, Jalal al-Din Muhammad Akbar, 963-1014 AH (1556-1605). 1/2 Mohur Year 48 (1603-1604), Lahore. Sehr selten. NGC MS67. Prachtvolle Erhaltung; Magnificent condition."

The Mughal Empire stretched over most of India in the early seventeenth century and numerous mints struck gold mohurs for the emperor. The Mughal Empire broke up in the eighteenth century under external attack, Hindu rebellion and civil war. This collapse allowed European colonizers entry into the subcontinent and eventual British control. The IE date on this specimen seems to be a regnal calendar abandoned after Akbar's death.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 4.8-5.4 g, gold, this specimen 5.41 g.

Catalog reference: KM 103.2, Fr-735b.

Source:

• 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.
• 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]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 90, Münzen und Medaillen der Welt, Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2024.

Link to:

• IE 47 (1602-03) half rupee, Kabul mint
• IE 47 (1602-03) nazarana rupee, Ahmadabad mint
• IE 47 (1602-03) rupee, Lahore mint
• IE 48 (1603-04) nazarana rupee, Ahmadabad mint
• IE 48 (1603-04) rupee, Lahore mint
• IE 48 (1603-04) rupee, Sitapur mint
• IE 49 (1604-05) nazarana rupee, Burhanpur mint
• IE 49 (1604-05) nazarana rupee, Sitapur mint
• IE 49 (1604-05) rupee, Lahore mint
• IE 49 (1604-05) mohur, Burhanpur mint
• Coins and currency dated 1603