Lot 292

Mughal, Muhammad Shah (AH 1131-1161, 1719-1748 AD), Gold Mohur, 10.96 gms, 20.51 mm, Dar al-Sarur Burhanpur Mint (mostly visible at bottom on rev), With laqab: abul fath nasir al-din added to the usual obverse inscription, AH 11xx, RY Ahd, The Obv reads as: …abū al-fath nāṣir al-dīn bādshāh ghāzī muhammad shāh in three lines. Rev.: Bears the formulaic legend sanah aḥd julūs maimanat mānū(s) ẓarb dār al-sarūr burhānpūr. A gold coin of this type was published by R. B. Whitehead in “Some Notable Coins of the Mughal Emperors of India, Part III,” The Numismatic Chronicle, London, 1930, pp. 199–220, with plates XIV–XV. The specimen is discussed on pp. 214–215, coin no. 11, and illustrated on plate XV, no. 4. Whitehead noted: laqab: abul fath nasir al-din. He also published a silver rupee displaying the same features in Part II (1926) of his contribution, referring to a similar specimen in the Nagpur Museum collection, previously published by Nelson Wright in NS-XII (1909) and by S. H. Hodivala in Historical Studies in Mughal Numismatics. Coins of Muhammad Shah bearing his full laqab and qunya are also known from other mints; an example from Jahangirnagar was published by Stan Goron, References: KM 438.6; Similar to Zeno no # 141852. A similar gold coin is held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. A comparable specimen was published by Shailendra Bhandare in “Important Indian Coins in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna,” Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society, No. 205 (2010), p. 28, fig. 22, section 15, Multiple test marks on the edge; overall Extremely Fine+. Exceptionally rare, highly desirable and collectible; reported absent from all major collections apart from the museum holdings noted above. A museum-worthy specimen.