MEDIEVAL
SILVER COIN OF THE SHAHIS
The Shahi’s were a rich Hindu dynasty ruling parts of
what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan.
About 750AD they introduced a new silver coin, called a Jital.
One side showed a recumbent Brahma bull, a
traditional symbol of the Hinduism. The other pictured a man on a horse
holding
a shield and a lance, reflecting the Afghans love of fine horsemanship.
Despite
the dynasty’s collapse about 1000AD, the Bull and Horseman design
continued to
be struck in India and Pakistan
for hundreds of years though becoming increasingly crude and debased.
These
crude, undated, medieval Bull and Horseman silver Jitals were made by
the
Shahis between about 750 to 1000AD, Compared to contemporary medieval
European
coins which sell for hundreds of dollars, they are quite a bargain!
Item
C-SHAHI SHAHI
SILVER JITAL, ca 750-1000AD VG-F-crude $12.00
India
has a long history of
making their new coins resemble those already
in circulation. After many generations crudely copying the coins
found in circulation, the original design becomes garbled and
forgotten. The design
begins to take on new elements and new meanings. This 11th
century
copper dramma from Omkaresvara, India is an excellent example of
this.
The design of the coin was based on the Sassian fire altar Drachm that
was
produced about 500 years earlier. What was the head of the
emperor
on the front became a phallic symbol, the Lingam of Siva. The fire
alter
on the reverse turned into a series of lines. 
This
billon (highly debased silver) jital was struck by Nasir al din
Mohammed
who ruled Sind from 1249 to 1260AD. Sind is located in
south-eastern
Pakistan. Sind was once the center of the ancient Indus Valley
civilizations.
At the time the coin was struck, it was on the edges of competing
empires,
so was able to re-establish its own independence. The coin
is highly unusual for the period in that it has a clear pictorial
design featuring a horse. Some theorize that this signifies the
resurgence in the trade of war horses that had thrived in the
area in earlier years before the invasion of Ghenghiz Khan. 
Sikhism is a
progressive religion that was founded in India in the 15th century,
drawing upon both Hindu and Muslim traditions. After years of Mughal
oppression, the Sikhs transformed themselves into a formable military
power and created an empire that encompassed much of northern India and
Pakistan. After a series of disastrous wars with the British in
the 1840's, the Sikh Empire was annexed into British India. This
copper 1 Paisa was struck at the Amritsar Mint between 1828 and 1847.
The design features a leaf. It was during this period that this
once powerful religious empire was in its final decline.
Denmark established its
first
colony in India in 1620. A mint was
later established to provide coinage for the colonies. Its coins
tended to be small crude pieces that were hand struck from hand
engraved dies. Due to falling profits and increasing costs of
maintaining the colonies, Denmark
sold its possessions in India to the British East India Company in
1845,
thus bringing an end to its colonial era and the, coinage of Danish
India.
We recently obtained a hoard of these small, scarce, crude copper coins
of
Danish India. We have not had time to sort through the coins, so
will
offer them as they come. Because the coins are crudely struck grading
them
is sometimes difficult, so we will just call them crude and worn. 
Portuguese
explorer Vasco da Gama first visited India in 1498. Portugal soon
became
the first European nation to establish colonies in India, and for many
years enjoyed a profitable monopoly on European trade with India.
With the coming of the British and Dutch in the 17th century,
Portuguese
power declined, until all that was left were three minor outposts on
the
west coast of India. In 1961, after years of preaching
non-violence,
the Indian armed forces invaded these last remaining outposts and
forcibly
annexed
them, thus bringing an end to this long series of colonial coins.
We offer the 1961 Portuguese India 10 Centavos in Uncirculated
condition.
It saw the last coin produced before the Indian invasion. The
coin
features the arms of Portuguese India.
PORTUGUESE MOZAMBIQUEPORTUGUESE GUINEA MACAO PORTUGUESE TIMOR
The Majaraja of Jaipur was a very wealthy man. He grew
even wealthier due
to an unusual practice in this native state in Northern
India.
Special, extra large coins, called Nazarana coins, were struck each
year.
If one wanted to be on good terms with the Maharaja, one would purchase
these special coins from the mint and present the coins to the
Maharaja for his birthday or on other special occasions. The
mintages of these unusual coins were quite low, so they are rarely seen
by collectors. The coins acknowledged both the Maharaja and the King of
England, who also ruled India. We offer the copper Nazarana Paisa
struck in the name of Maharaja Man Singh II
and King George V or King George VI. The exact date of the coin is our
choice.
The coins grade XF, however, as is typical of these coins, they have
been
cleaned. After all, one would not want to give the Maharaja with
a
dirty coin! 
THE
RAMATANKA (INDIAN TEMPLE TOKEN)
This
crudely made brass tokens pictures the Gods Rama and Laksmana standing
on one side of the coin. The other side shows Rama and Sita seated on a
throne, along the monkey god Hanuman. The tokens were used in temples
throughout
India during much of the 20th Century.
AFGHANISTAN
COIN & CURRENCY PAGERARE SILVER COIN OF
MANGUBARNICOINS OF THE KANDY KINGSSRI LANKA COIN SET
INCLUDES NEW ISSUES & BIMETAL
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