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Lot 1101
Mughal. Nawabs of Surat. Shah Alam II (AH 1173-1221; 1759-1806 AD). Silver 10-Rupees, Hijri, AH 1185, Year 6, 115.6g, 45. Mughal. Nawabs of Surat. Shah Alam II (AH 1173-1221; 1759-1806 AD). Silver 10-Rupees, Hijri, AH 1185, Year 6, 115.6g, 45mm. Struck at Surat, in the name of the Mughal Emperor Shah ‘Alam II. A large coin of Mughal type, a late successor to the list of large and gigantic Mughal coins. Good very fine. Incredibly rare, one of the only two known specimens. ex The Al-Sayyed Collection, The New York Sale XXV, M&M / Baldwin / Markov, January 2011, lot 380 ex The Al-Sayyed Collection, The New York Sale XXV, M&M / Baldwin / Markov, January 2011, lot 380 Large and Gigantic Coins Accounts of large and gigantic coins go back to the times of the Sultans of Dehli but until now no such specimens of such Sultanate coins have been found apart from a spectacular gold Five Tanka piece of Mahmud I, Sultan of Malwa1 and a silver Ten Tanka piece of Jalal al-Din Muhammad, Sultan of Bengal, struck at Firuzabad in AH 8242. When it comes to Mughal times, more information is available as are some splendid examples of these strikings. It is reported that during the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan I and Aurangzeb pieces ranging from 5 to a massive 1000 Tolars were struck in gold and, during the reign of Aurangzeb, large silver pieces too. S H Hodivala, in his detailed article, "Gigantic Coins"3 discusses the various reports concerning the striking and use of such coins, as, to a lesser extent, does P L Gupta in his article "Gigantic Mughal coins – a review"4. Two wonderful examples of these issues, in gold, were offered for sale in 19875. These were a 1000 Mohur piece of Jahangir, struck at Agra in AH 1022 (AD 1613), weighing 11,935 grams with a diameter of 210mm; and a 100 Mohur piece of Shah Jahan I, struck at Lahore in AH 1048 (AD 1638-1639), weighing 1094 grams with a diameter of 95mm. P J Gupta describes and illustrates a 100 Mohur piece of Aurangzeb, struck at Shahjahanabad (Delhi) in AH 1083 (AD 1672-1673), which was exhibited at the Asiatic Society of Bengal some time around 1885. This piece is said to have weighed 35 ounces (c. 990 grams). A huge 200 Rupee piece of Aurangzeb, weighing 2336 grams, was once in the Gotha coin cabinet and apparently sold in 1930. This piece or one very similar was seen briefly in London some years ago but its present whereabouts are unknown. After Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire quickly went into decline and no more such pieces are reported. Ever since such issues were known there was uncertainty as to their purpose: were they actually coins and used as such? Were they a form of bullion and storage of wealth? Were they used as nazrana, i.e. pieces which individuals had struck for presentation to the ruler; or were they presentation pieces to be used by the ruler or a combination of these possibilities? Hodivala, after reviewing all the evidence comes to the conlusion that they were "massive ingots of artistically stamped bullion given away to ambassadors, diplomatic agents and other distinguished person as complimentary gifts or souvenirs of the Imperial favour and munificence" Surat – Brief History Surat is situated in Gujarat on the left bank of the Tapti river. Local tradition states that the present city was founded towards the end of the 15th century. Early in the 16th century it was ravaged by the Portuguese but by that time it had already become an important port of the Gujarat sultanate, whose ruler ordered a stronger fort to be built there. In 1573, the city was captured by Akbar and incorporated into the Mughal empire. In the heyday of the empire, it rose to become one of the most important mercantile centres and ports. The British first made their appearence at the mouth of the Tapti in 1608 and four years later concluded a treaty with the Mughal governor of Gujarat whereby they were permitted to trade at Surat, Cambay, Ahmadabad and Gogo. This treaty was subsequently confirmed by firman from the Emperor, himself, at Delhi. Surat soon became the seat of a Presidency of the East India Company and continued in that role until the seat was transferred to Bombay in 1687. Early travellers describe Surat as populous and wealthy, with handsome houses and a great trade. During the busy winter months, lodgings could hardly be obtained, owing to the influx of people. Caravans came and went to Golconda, Agra, Delhi and Lahore; ships arrived from the Konkan and the Malabar Coast; while, from beyond, besides the flourishing trade with Europe, merchants came from Arabia, the Persian Gulf, Ceylon and Acheh in Sumatra. Silk and cotton cloth formed the chief articles of export. During the reign of Aurangzeb (AD 1658-1707), Surat suffered from frequent Maratha raids but this did not seem to diminish its financial success or importance. After the death of Aurangzeb, the power of the Mughals quickly waned. The Marathas took advantage of this and established themselves virtually up to the walls of the city. By 1724, the local Mughal governor had become more or less independent and became the first Nawab of Surat with the name of Sohrab Khan. His position did not go unchallenged and, in 1733, he gave way to Tegh Bakht (or Beg) Khan. This latter struck a deal with the Marathas sometime during 1735-40 relating to tributes, the outcome of which caused annoyance to the East India Company. After his death in 1746, there ensued a period of struggle for power, involving not only the local nobility but also the English and Dutch. The next Nawab, Beglar Khan, lasted no more than a year. He was succeeded by Safdar Khan, who appointed his son, Waqar Khan, in charge of the fort. Nizam al-Mulk Asaf Jah then tried to meddle in the affairs of Surat and one of his faction, Mir Muhiyuddin (also known as Miya Acchan) machinated to get rid of both Safdar and Waqar Khan. With the help of the Gaikwads, he became Nawab. This must have occurred in or around 1748. After a year of chaos, Safdar Khan regained the Nawabship and ruled until 1757 or 1758. It is reported that during his rule the fort fell into the hands of the Sidi of Janjira at least for a period. Safdar Khan was succeeded by Ali Nawaz Khan. Achhan, who had previously fled, now returned and, with Maratha aid, laid claim once again to become the Nawab. His bid was upheld by the mercantile elite of the city. The fort, however, was held by the previous faction, who organised riots in the city. To keep things under control, in 1759 the EIC concluded a treaty with the Marathas, that they (the EIC) would control the fort and sanction the appointment of Nawabs and that the city revenues would be shared between the EIC, the Marathas and the Nawab. This resulted in two power centres in Surat; the fort and the riverside flew the English flag, while the city remained under the Nawab’s control. In effect, the EIC became the unofficial string-puller. Muhiyuddin Miya Acchan died in 1763 and was succeeded by his son, Qutbuddin, who became Nawab under the name of Hafizuddin Ahmad Khan. He reigned until 1790. The last Nawab of Surat was Nizamuddin, the son of Hafizuddin. He ruled 1790-1799. His infant successor died soon after. Nizamuddin’s brother, Nasiruddin, became a contender fo the office of Nawab, but after three years of wrangling, the EIC managed to offer him a pension and took control of the city as well. Surat – Coinage The coinage of Surat started with a rare issue of square Rupees during the latter part of Akbar’s reign. Sporadic issues followed during the reign of his son, Jahangir, the most notable of which is the issue quoting not only his own name but also that of his queen, Nur Jahan. It was the reign of Shah Jahan I, however, that was to see a huge increase in mint production in the city; this started at the beginning of his reign and was to continue throughout the period that the Mughals controlled the city. Surat became one of the most prolific mints in the Mughal Empire, if not the most prolific. Its Rupees were respected for their high quality throughout the realm. Mohurs, too, were struck during this period, though obviously in lesser numbers than the Rupees. Once Mughal control of the city weakened, minting, too, seems to have started to decrease. Whilst the Rupees in the name of Muhammad Shah (AD 1719-1748) remain quite numerous, those struck in the names of later Mughal rulers, i.e. during the time of the Nawabs, are fewer and give the appearance of some debasement. In fact, in 1762, reports showed that many bad Rupees had lately been issued from the Surat mint. Surat was one of the mints that struck both Rupees and Mohurs in the name of the ephemeral puppet ruler, Shah Jahan III (AD 1759-1760). Some of these coins, with the mintname Surat, have dates posthumous to the reign of Shah Jahan III and have different mintmarks. Jan Lingen has suggested that such coins could well have been struck at Bhaunagar6. Nawab issues in the name of Shah ‘Alam II are by no means common, and tend to be struck on rather dumpy flans which make it difficult to see the Hijri date (usually at the top of the obverse) or even the regnal year. Coins with dates or regnal years corresponding to the early part of Shah Alam II’s reign seem to be particularly scarce. The Present Coin This Ten Rupee coin is the second known specimen of this issue. The first was published by F D J Paruck in c.19157 and was struck from the same dies. The strike is very similar for both coins but there is a small difference in the parts of the legends visible. The earlier coin, which is now believed to be in an Indian Museum, weighed 1,788 grains = 115.86 grams (note the present coin at 115.6 grams), had a diameter of 1.78 inches = 45.2mm (present coin 45mm), and was 0.28 inches thick = 7mm (present coin 7mm). The coins bear the standard non-couplet legends for Shah ‘Alam II, viz: Obv. sh?h ?lam b?d sh?h gh?z? sikka mub?rak Rev. jal?s maimanat m?n?s arb s?rat The obverse has the Hijri date 1185 at the top. The regnal year, 6, is centre right on the reverse above the word sanah (year). The reverse also has a common, flower mintmark for the Surat mint in the letter s?n of jal?s. The one odd thing about this issue is that the Hijri date does not match the regnal year of Shah ‘Alam II. 1185 should be parts of regnal years 12 and 13 (the Hijri dates and regnal years overlap); regnal year 6 of Shah ‘Alam II corresponds to parts of the Hijri years 1178 and 1179. Assuming the Hijri date of 1185 to be the actual date of striking, that corresponds to the period 16 April 1771 to 3 April 1772. Nawab Hafizuddin Ahmad Khan was installed on 14 April 1763 = AH 1177, so his regnal year 6 would bridge the Hijri years 1182 and 1183. This would be closer to the year 1185 but still not a correct concordance. Thus the regnal year 6 could be a "frozen" regnal year of either Shah ‘Alam II or the Nawab. Unfortunately too few coins are reported with both clear Hijri date and regnal year to be able to make any sense of the chronological data. Nor is there any information available that might enable us to determine the reasons for the striking of these coins in that particular year. It is known that, earlier in the Mughal empire, large coins were used to store bullion and to present to ambassadors and other important personages as a token of the ruler’s munificence. The court of the Nawab of Surat could hardly compare with the court of the Great Mughals, but the purpose of these Surat pieces could still have been for the same purposes. As stated above, at this time the British were in charge of the fort of Surat and "pulled the strings". Perhaps the Nawab needed some strings pulled and presented these coins to the commander of the fort; or maybe to some Maratha chief. Whatever the reason and the circumstances, the Ten Rupee coin on offer here provides an opportunity to add something really special to any collection of Indian coins. 1). S. Goron & J.P. Goenka: The Coins of the Indian Sultanates, New Delhi, 2001, p.434, type M20 2). Idem, p.192, type B340 3). S.H. Hodivala: Historical Studies in Mughal Numismatics, Varanasi 1976, pp. 70-75. 4). Numismatic Diegest, Vol.IX, 1985, pp. 88-94 5). Sale Catalogue, Habsburg Feldman S.A., Fine Art Auctioneers, Geneva Switzerland, 8 November 1987. 6). Jan Lingen: "Bhaunagar, also a mint for gold and silver?" in JONS 200, 2009 7). Furdoonjee D.J. Paruck, "Unpublished Mughal Coins", Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Numismatic Supplement XXIII, p, 18 $ 300,000.
Estimated Value $300,000-UP.
INDIA.
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