Calcutta Mint – Hammered Coinages – Gold, Mohur – ‘Ālamgīr II – ‘Alīnagar Kalkatta – 1757

In April 1757 the EIC was given permission to strike gold and silver coins, although no mention of gold actually being struck has been found in the records.

For Photo

See Rupee

For Photo

See Rupee

sikka mubārak bādshāh ghāzī ‘ālamgīr [AH date] (= the auspicious coin of the victorious Emperor, ‘Ālamgīr [AH date]).

ẓarb ‘alīnagar kalkata sanah [RY] julūs maimanat mānūs (= Struck at ‘Alīnagar Calcutta in the [RY] year of tranquil prosperity)

Official Weight

11.08

Actual Weight (g)

Actual Diameter (mm)

~25

Composition

Gold

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	Pr. No.	AH	RY	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
1.1	1292.	1	?	4		Reported in SCMB 1949 p. 372. Described as: unique gold mohur of ‘Ālamgīr II regnal. Year 4 with mint name ‘Alīnagar Calcutta. From a talk presented by Dr. R.B. Whitehead.	RRR

Calcutta Mint – Hammered Coinages – Silver, Rupee et infra – ‘Ālamgīr II – ‘Alīnagar Kalkatta

In early July 1757, 4000 rupees were struck with the mint name ‘Alīnagar Kalkata (see comments).


sikka mubārak bādshāh ghāzī ‘ālamgīr [AH date] (= the auspicious coin of the victorious Emperor, ‘Ālamgīr [AH date]).		ẓarb ‘alīnagar kalkata sanah [RY] julūs maimanat mānūs (= Struck at ‘Alīnagar Calcutta in the [RY] year of tranquil prosperity)

	Rupee	Half Rupee
Official Weight (g)	11.64	5.82
Actual Weight (g)	11.61	?
Actual Diameter (mm)	~25	~21
Composition	Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	Pr. No.	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
1.2	√ 1345.	2	Rupee	xxxx	4	Bhandare	Ashmolean museum.	RRR
1.3	√ 1346.	-	Half Rupee	xxxx	4	Bald	Ref: Baldwin (2001), sale 25 (Wiggins), lot 613.	RRR
1.3E	√ 1346e.	-	Sixteenth Rupee	xxxx	4	Vikram Chatterjee		RRR

Calcutta Mint – Hammered Coinages – Gold, Mohur et infra – ‘Ālamgīr II – Kalkatta – 1757 to 1760

In October 1757 gold was sent to the mint to be coined into mohurs. There is no indication, in the records, of fractions being struck and the whereabouts of the half and quarter in the Caldecott sale (JB Caldecott, Sotheby, 11^th June 1912) is not known.

	or
sikka mubārak bādshāh ghāzī ‘ālamgīr [AH date] (= the auspicious coin of the victorious Emperor, ‘Ālamgīr [AH date]).		ẓarb kalkata sanah [RY] julūs maimanat mānūs (= Struck at Calcutta in the [RY] year of tranquil prosperity).

	Mohur	Half Mohur	Quarter Mohur
Official Weight (g)	11.08	5.54	2.77
Actual Weight (g)	?	?	?
Actual Diameter (mm)	~25	~21	~16
Edge	Plain

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	Pr. No.	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
1.4	1293.	-	Mohur	?	4		No specimens known. See comments for discussion.	NR
1.5	√ 1293c.	3	”	1171	5	Prid		RRR
1.6	1294.	4	”	1174	6		Recorded from Pridmore.	RRR
1.7	1295.	5	Half Mohur	[xxxx]	[x]		Not examined by Pridmore. Caldecott Sale (1912), Lot 77.	NR
1.8	1296.	6	Quarter Mohur	[xxxx]	[x]		Not examined by Pridmore. Caldecott Sale (1912), Lot 77.	NR

Calcutta Mint – Hammered Coinages – Silver, Rupee et infra – ‘Ālamgīr II – Kalkatta – 1757 to 1760

On 28th July 1757, permission was given to strike coins with the mint name Kalkata. The smaller denominations (eighth and sixteenth) claimed to be Calcutta mint and not showing the mint name, are usually indistinguishable from Murshīdābād. The listing for these smaller coins is based on Pridmore, but these coins might equally well be Murshīdābād issues.

	or
sikka mubārak bādshāh ghāzī ‘ālamgīr [AH date] (= the auspicious coin of the victorious Emperor, ‘Ālamgīr [AH date]).		ẓarb kalkata sanah [RY] julūs maimanat mānūs (= Struck at Calcutta in the [RY] year of tranquil prosperity).

	Rupee	Half Rupee	Quarter Rupee	Eighth Rupee	Sixteenth Rupee
Official Weight (g)	11.64	5.82	2.91	1.45	0.73
Actual Weight (g)	11.29-11.63	5.84	?	?	?
Actual Diameter (mm)	22.2-24.7	18.5-19.3	~14	~10	~7
Composition	Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	Pr. No.	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
1.9	√ 1347.	-	Rupee	1171	4	Ste, Kulkarni, Rhodes, Noon	Ref: Johnston, also Singapore/HK sale 28 (1999), lot 1002. Baldwin sale 28 (2001), lot 1343.	RR
1.10	√ 1348.	7	”	1171	5	Ste but no AH, Noon but no AH		RRR
1.11	√ 1349.	8	”	1172	5	Noon, Coin World		RRR
1.12	√ 1350.	-	”	1174	6	Ste	Ref: Baldwin (2001), sale 25 (Wiggins), lot 614. AH not usually visible but see photos.	RRR
1.13	√ 1351.	9	Half Rupee	xxxx	4	Ste, Noon		RRR
1.14	√ 1352.	10	Quarter Rupee	xxxx	4	Pr.		RRR
-	√ 1352c.	-	”	xxxx	5	Bald	Baldwin (2006), sale 47 (Stiller), lot 802. Could be Murshīdābād.	RRR
-	√ 1352e.	-	”	xxxx	6	Ste	Could be Murshīdābād.	RRR
1.15	√ 1353.	11	Eighth Rupee	xxxx	4	Ste	Recorded from Pridmore, but his photo does not show the mint-name. These may be Murshīdābād mint issues.	RRR
1.16	1354.	12	”	xxxx	5			RRR
-	√ 1355.	-	”	xxxx	6	Ste	Could be Murshīdābād.	RRR
1.17	1356.	13	Sixteenth Rupee	xxxx	5		Recorded from Pridmore. He shows no photo, and refers to NC 1903, No. 5, where the coin described could be Murshīdābād or Calcutta.	RRR
-	√ 1357.	-	”		6	Ste	Ref: Baldwin (2001), sale 25 (Wiggins), lot 616/617. Could be Murshīdābād.	RRR

See ‘Ālamgīr II (Bengal Nawābs) for more fractions that could be Kalkatta or Murshīdābād

Calcutta/Murshīdābād Mint – Hammered Coinages – Silver, ‘Ālamgīr II – 1759 to 1761

Permission to strike rupees at Calcutta, with the mint name Murshīdābād, was received right at the end of 1760. These coins probably would have been struck early in 1761, before coins with the name of Shāh ‘Ālam II were authorised in July. The coins would have been dated 1174 with RY 6. IF the AH is not visible then the coins cannot be considered to belong to the EIC.


sikka mubārak bādshāh ghāzī ‘ālamgīr 1174 (= the auspicious coin of the victorious Emperor, ‘Ālamgīr 1174).		ẓarb murshīdābād sanah 6 julūs maimanat mānūs (= Struck at Murshīdābād in the 6 year of his reign of tranquil prosperity).

Actual Weight (g)

11.68

Actual Diameter (mm)

23.2-23.7

Composition

Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.

Photo Link

Pr. No.

Denomination

Provenance

√ Comments

Rarity

1.18

√ 1360p

Rupee

1174

Ste, Vikram Chatterjee

Calcutta Mint – Hammered Coinages – Copper, Monetary Tickets – 1757

In October 1757, the mint master was instructed to produce copper tickets for the use of the labourers rebuilding the fortifications of the city.

See Rhodes N (1999), ONS Newsletter, 159, pp15-16; also Kathotia IK (2006), JONS, p. 23


A circle divided by a cross. In each of the four compartments is one of the letters: V E I C (Vnited East India Company).	A large script numeral 1 (or 6 or 3 or 2) within a raised circle.

	Anna	Six Pice	Three Pice	Two Pice
Actual Weight (g)	28.6-29.2	14.58	?	4.65
Actual Diam (mm)	Varies. See table below	22	~18	18
Metal	Copper

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	Pr. No.	Denomination	Obv	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
1.19	√ 1385.	186	Anna	A	Prid	BM. Diam = 33.2mm	RRR
1.20	1386.	-	”	B		Ref: Rhodes. Diam = 25-27mm	RRR
1.21	1387.	-	”	C		Ref: Rhodes	RRR
1.22	1388.	187	Six Pice	-		BM	RRR
1.23	√ 1389.	-	Three Pice	-	Ste but only drawing	None found although a pencil drawing exists in my old copy of Thurston (1890, Catalogue of coins in the Madras museum. Superintendent, Government Press, Madras.).	NR
1.24	√ 1389a.	-	Two Pice	-	Ste, Oswal, NR	Ref: N. Rhodes. Personal Comm, June 2006. Also Kathotia IK (2006), JONS, p. 23	RRR

Obverse Varieties for Anna

C in balemark	The C in the balemark may be leaning backwards or be straight.
Letters in Balemark	The letters in the balemark may be arranged normally or in mirror image.