British East India Company

Lot 1980       British East India Company

Estimate $600
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $1,800

MADRAS PRESIDENCY, Indian Style Coinage, Hindu System, Gold pagoda, c.1781, Struck at Negapatam mint for district of Tanjore, (3.39 grams), obv. single standing deity, (probably Vishnu?), rev. granulated, (cf.Pr. 2, KM. -, Scholten p.139, the discussion under type No. 1228). Uncirculated and extremely rare.

Ex Spink & Son London, June 23, 1978 by private purchase and Colin E. Pitchfork Collection, Noble Numismatics Sale 48 (lot 1981). The issue is said to have been struck under authority of a certain Captain Scott of Tanjore after the British captured Negapatam in 1781. They thus became known as "Scott's Pagoda" or Iskat-Pagoda. The obverse of the rude representation of a single standing deity is derived from the Negapatam issues of the Dutch struck after 1662, which in itself is derived from a Vijayanagar prototype. Pridmore did not recognise the type but is known in India as the Iskat-Pagoda. Scholten notes the fineness of these pagodas as 0.625 - 0.635. The Dr. Lawrence Brent specimen struck from same or very similar dies (lot 616) realised US$1100 in Spink-Taisei sale 9.