Lot 4747

Description

Jahangir, (A.H. 1014-1037, A.D.1605-1628), Zodiacal round Gold Mohur, (10.87 g), Pisces, struck in Agra mint, issued A.H. 1028 (A.D. 1618-9), Regnal Year 13, obv. Persian legend, 'The face of gold was decorated at Agrah by Jahangir Shah, Shah Akbar [son]', also Regnal Year and hijri date, all within dotted circles, rev. Two fish head-to-tail, sun behind. head surrounded by solar rays, within dotted circle, with characteristic die flaw at 2.00 (as known on all genuine examples), (BMC 358 [same obverse die Plate X], KM.180.20 [$100,000 EF], Whitehead Num. Chron. 1931 Pl.IX, 9). Good very fine and very rare.

R.B. Whitehead studied and published these zodiacal coins in great detail in the 1931 Numismatic Chronicle (pp.91- 130). He notes the existence of 243 gold zodiacal coins struck at the Agra mint for all zodiac issues. This is based on all those in the major museums of the world, sale catalogues and private collections. Some 19 examples are known for the Agra mint issues for the this coin year and same dies for the above coin. Whitehead notes that all the known coins of year 13 for Pisces have a defect at two o'clock on the reverse, so all were struck from the same die (Whitehead p.125). This is noted above on our example.

The Emperor Jahangir records in the diary that he kept for many years, 'Previously to this, the rule of the coinage was that on one face of the metal they stamped my name and on the reverse the name of the place and the month and year of the reign. It entered my mind that in place of the month they should substitute the figure of the constellation which belonged to that month ...The usage is my own, and has never been practised before.' Pisces is the sign for Bahman, the eleventh month of the ilahi year, (while Leo is Armardad, the fifth month). The gold zodiacal mohurs were generally struck at the capital mint of Agra and are all highly prized by collectors.

A similar example of the same grade was sold by Heritage U.S.A., in January 2013 for a hammer of US$70,000.