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Broach Mint – Silver, Single & Half Rupee

See Baldwin (2001), sale 25 (Wiggins), lot 110. Some of these described as EIC coins. Identified by cross.

sikka mubārak bādshāh ghāzī shāh ‘ālam [AH] (= The auspicious coin of the victorious emperor, Shāh ‘Ālam [AH]).		ẓarb Broach sanah (RY) julūs maimanat mānūs (= Struck at Broach in his [RY] year of tranquil prosperity).

	Rupee	Half Rupee
Actual Weight (g)	11.36-11.61	5.57-5.79
Actual Diameter (mm)	19.5-20.6	15.8-17.0
Composition	Silver

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	KM	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
6.68	1142.	36	Rupee	xxxx	22		ONS Newsletter No. 132, Feb-Apr 1992, which refers to a list issued by Stephen Album in which this coin is listed	RR
-	√ 1143.		”	xxxx	xx	Ste	Issued 1803 to 1814. Usually can’t be distinguished from early Scindia issues	N
6.69	√ 1144.	A36	Half Rupee	xxxx	xx	Ste		S

See also Nawāb and Maratha (Gwāliār) issues. Gwāliār has a quarter rupee catalogued. This might possibly be EIC.

Broach Mint – Copper, Pice

See Baldwin (2001), sale 25 (Wiggins), lot 110. Some of these described as EIC coins. Identified by cross.

Undetermined Legend	Undetermined legend with the cross of St Thomas prominently displayed

Actual Weight (g)

6.94

Actual Diameter (mm)

16.4-17.4

Composition

Copper

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	Pr. No.	AH	RY	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
6.70	√ 1145.	-	xxxx	xx	Ste	Issued 1803 to 1806	R

Broach Mint – Copper, Later Pice

Balemark of the EIC	Balemark of the EIC

	Pice	Half Pice
Actual Weight (g)	10.23-10.64	5.20
Actual Diameter (mm)	18.6-19.8	16.33
Composition	Copper

Catalogue

Cat No.	Photo Link	Pr. No.	Denomination	AH	RY	Provenance	√ Comments	Rarity
6.71	√ 1146.	300	Pice	xxxx	xx	Ste, Janardan Gollada, Noon, Zeno	Issued first quarter of 19^th century. There is a possibility that a half pice denomination of this coin was issued. so this must remain speculation for the moment.	R
6.72	√ 1146c.		”	xxxx	xx	Lingen, SA via RJ, RJ	Overstruck on copper coins of Baroda. These may be Baroda coppers overstruck on Broach coins.	R
6.72A	√ 1146e.	-	Half Pice	xxxx	xx	Tody, Janardan Gollada	Todywalla sale 26, lot 244 appears to show a pice with a smaller coin with the same design. No weight or diameter is given. See photos for another specimen	RR

The following photos & comments are from Amit Mehta:

Photos from Amit Mehta who wrote:

Sometime in 2010 or 2011, I had picked up a small lot of six-seven coins from a friend, which are similar to the ones listed in the SACPM as KM C#20, issued during the rule of Nek Nam Khan, dated AH 1176. Most coins in that lot which show 2 digits of the date, but there is one that shows 3 digits. The three digits are 1 8 7 which led me to conclude that the coins are dated 1187 or 187x. The coins which display 2 digits of the date, show the date as either 8 7 or 7 6. Back then, I had a lengthy discussion on this topic with Mr. Shailen Bhandare and he concluded that the coins were dated 1876, with the word below the digits reading ‘Samat’. He read the mint name as Zila’a Bharuch. Another factor that goes against the date being read as 1187, in my opinion, is the mint name Zila’a Bharuch - which was not the name used during the reign of the Nawabs or even half a century thereafter and the presence of the word ‘Samat’, denoting Vikram Samvat.

In your article - “The Coins of the Bombay Presidency – The coins of the Northern Districts”, published in the JONS 182, you mentioned that in 1820, after a decision was taken to produce copper coins at Bharuch, the Collector there had sent some examples of the Pice minted in Bharuch to Bombay for examination by April of the same year. The assay master reported that the coins were ‘wretched in the extreme’ and immediately ordered a stop to production. In 1821, permission was given to strike coins if the quality of the coins was improved.

Figures of minting during a later period are mentioned in the article but there is no mention of the quantity of coins minted in 1820 & 1821. You also note about the ruling on a petition filed by the Shroffs of Surat, a little before 1824, wherein Mr. Prendergast had ordered the Bharuch Pice to be struck with the “Mark of Sirkar” which, as you conclude, are the coins that have the bale mark struck on both sides. This must have followed the copper coins minted with the St. David cross which could have been the coins minted in 1820 or the improved coins minted in 1821 or later to a little before 1824.

This led me to re-think on these coins which I have:

1.      In 1820, Bharuch was firmly in the hands of the British administration for over 15 years.

2.      The date, VS 1876 seen on these coins would correspond to 1820 AD. This is about the same time as the British issue of the coins at Dholera with the Mint Name written Bandar Dholara.

3.      You mention that the mint master at Bombay found the coins minted in 1820 'wretched in the extreme' and ordered their minting to be stopped. However, it is possible that till this order was received at Bharuch, the mint might have struck a small quantity of coins, very few of which may have survived.

4.      The copper coins with the St. David cross (listed as type 1) were possibly the improved coins minted in 1821 and later till a little before 1824 (though it cannot be ruled out completely that the same design was also minted in 1820) and the copper coins with the bale mark struck on both sides of the coin (listed as type 2), would have been struck from ‘some time before 1824’ till closure of the mint.

I would like to have your views about these coins of Bharuch minted around 1820 (VS 1876) which bear the mint name ‘Zila’a Bharuch? Is there any possibility that these were the coins that were the first samples sent to Bombay for approval in 1820 and rejected or would these possibly be some private issues minted due to severe shortage of copper coins in the area?