World Silver & Bronze Coins - Afghanistan -India

Lot 3046    SESSION 11 (9.30AM THURSDAY 28TH JULY)    World Silver & Bronze Coins - Afghanistan -India

Estimate $300
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $2,000

INDIA, Princely State, Sikh Empire, Diwan Mulraj, (April 1848-January 1849), gold rupee, dated VS 1905 = 1848, Multan mint, obv. Sahai Satguru, re, 1905 Mundarka, (KM.87). Extremely fine and rare.

Ex Dr L.J. Sherwin Collection, from Spink & Son, January 13, 1984 with their ticket.

These emergency gold rupees were struck during the siege of Multan in 1848. This is established by the Commissioner at Amritsar reported in 1864 "When Mulraj was beseiged in Multan (September 1848 - 22 January 1849) being short of silver to pay his troops, but having 40 lakhs of rupees hoarded in gold, he coined the whole of it into pieces which passed for one rupee. It however seems unlike that he had the equivalent of 4,000,000 rupees or 2600 kgms of gold at his disposal. Mundarka means siege and thus the expression is used to signify the reason for the striking of these interesting tiny siege coins.
A similar example in Noble Numismatics Sale 124 (lot 4509) realised $1000.