Lot 453

Independent Kingdoms, Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh (VS 1856-1896, 1801-1839 AD), Silver Rupee, 11.00 gms, 22.96 mm, Amritsar Mint, with a distinct pipal leaf on reverse and extra legend Dar Jhang to left of this and circular design below, Nanakshahi couplet, VS 1874, Herrli notes that there is an example of this type in the Lahore Museum, and that very few of them are known, and these only for VS1873 and 1874 (1816-17). The reading of the extra legend is still controversial, some, such as Rogers, attributing it to a town, Jhang, others to a personal name. While Gurprit Singh uses documentary evidence to link these coins to the location Jhang Sialan in his paper in the Journal of the ONS No. 184 (Summer 2005), pp.14-15. Papers written in Persian were discovered in the early 1930s that directly refer to the events of 1816-17. These were published in a book : Events at the Court of Ranjit Singh 1810-1817, edited by Lt. Col. H.L.O Garrett and G. L. Chopra, published 1970. From accounts in this publication it seems that Ahmed Khan governed Jhang Sialan on behalf of Ranjit Singh in 1816, and paid him tribute in Rupee coins, but fell out of favour in 1817. As there are several mentions of Rupees in the accounts, it therefore seems likely that this particular type may be connected to the place when under the governorship of Ahmed Khan, KM # 20.1a, Herrli # 01.09.04, very fine, extremely rare.