Lot 570
India, Mughal Empire, Shah Alam II (AH 1173-1221 / 1759-1806 AD), gold Nazarana Mohur - unique
Ancient, British & World Coins - Auction 120 | C25001
Auction: 12 March 2025 at 10:00 GMT
Description
India, Mughal Empire, Shah Alam II (AH 1173-1221 / 1759-1806 AD), gold Nazarana Mohur, AH 1221 / 1806 AD, RY 49, Shahjahanabad mint, the royal umbrella and the cinquefoil symbol on obverse, 10.54g (parallel in silver: KM 713; Stevens 8.26). In NGC holder graded AU Details – Bent (8221729-001). We believe this to be a rather harsh designation as the flan of this impressive coin is very slightly wavy, virtually unnoticeable when handling this coin. Lustrous and of the highest rarity, only one recorded in NGC census. Photo by NGC.
Nazarana Mohur of Shah Alam II – possibly unique
This Nazarana Mohur is very likely a unique piece, unrecorded in literature, with parallels found only in silver coins. Struck on a wider flan, the coin is lustrous and dually dated to AH 1221 and regnal year 49, the last year of the reign of Shah Alam II. The rare and earlier Nazarana Mohurs are recorded in previous auctions and literature and there is only a handful of them known. The AH 1221 Nazarana Mohur with distinctive floral borders is listed in Stevens as Nazarana Mohur type 1 (cat. no. 8.19 and of the highest rarity), however, for this type presented here, without the floral borders, the only parallel listed is a silver Nazarana Rupee (Stevens, 8.22). It is interesting though that the weight of this coin matches the Nazarana Mohur type 1 and not the silver coin which is a closer die and design parallel. In addition, we know that a Nazarana Mohur of this type was issued for the subsequent ruler Muhammad Akbar II and dually dated with the year AH 1221 and the regnal year 1. This type of Nazarana Mohur from the last year of the reign of Shah Alam II, with no floral borders, is most likely a unique item.
