Bengal Presidency, Murshidabad Rupee

[asm]

The coin below appears to be an issue of Murshidabad mint (Bengal Presidency) However it looks quite different from the coin in the Standard Catalogue. Please help. AH 1187 RY 12 of Shah Alam II is what I can read.
Amit

[Figleaf]

The right picture seems like Mughal empire KM 660 to me, while the left could very well be Bengal presidency KM 84.2. Yet, a mule is excluded, as it wouldn't explain the regnal year 12. Mysterious.

Peter

[Oesho]

It's just a variety. The cinqefoil symbol differs somewhat of the usual pieces.

[asm]

Oesho & Peter, thank you for the confirmation. I was also confused due to the absence of the circle made of 5 dots between the date and the cinqefoil on the rev.
Amit

[Rangnath]

I wonder how many cinqefoil symbols there are?  This one looks quite unusual to me. Another lovely coin Amit.
richie

[Rangnath]

I don't know if you ever had a chance to look at these two older threads Amit.  You might enjoy them.
richie

http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,1601.0.html

http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,2416.0.html

[abhinumis]

Thought of this old thread while going through a catalogue.. Rajgor says the coin is of French India!! Have a look at the link.. Do comment.
http://www.rajgors.com/LotDetails.aspx?LotID=155&auid=1

[Figleaf]

No doubt it's the same coin. Does this identification match the major catalogues?

Peter

[asm]

I tend to agree with what you point out. If Mr Ragjor is correct in his reading : Murshidabad Mint, Silver, Rupee, in the name of Shah Alam II, crescent on obv, AH 1187/12 (KM 30). Chandernagar issued coins for the French for a short period of time. These issues are distinguished by a Daroga's mark in the form of a dot below the Jasmine flower on rev. on the right of RY. this coin would well be French India. Oesho too seems to concur.......

It's just a variety. The cinqefoil symbol differs somewhat of the usual pieces.

.

[abhinumis]

So this coin is a french india issue with RY 12 while this coin posted by me http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,18766.0.html  would be a bengal presidency issue with RY 12 both from murshidabad mint..Interesting!! That means murshidabad mint was minting coins both for the british and the french almost at the same time! 

[asm]

So this coin is a french india issue with RY 12 while this coin posted by me http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,18766.0.html  would be a bengal presidency issue with RY 12 both from murshidabad mint..Interesting!! That means murshidabad mint was minting coins both for the british and the french almost at the same time!

If you read Ragjors details, the coin was minted at Chandernagar.........so minted at Chandernagar with the mint name Murshidabad.

Amit

[Oesho]

Recently Dr. Paul Stevens published 'The Coinage of the Hon. East India Company: Part I, The Coins of the Bengal Presidency'. This book explores the coins and mints of the Bengal Presidency from 1757, when the B.E.I.C. first acquired the right to mint coins there, until 1835m when a uniform coinage was introduced into British India. In essence this book builds upon and expands the well-known work originally produced by Major Fred Pridmore.
A paperback edition has also been produced for the Indian market, distributed by FS Todywalla.

From Stevens, p.96: "Coins of the years 11 & 12 were issued by the B.E.I.C. from all four mints, Calcutta, Murshidabad, Patna, and Dacca. There may be a secret dot system to distinguish the coins from the different mints, but this is rather speculative at present."
Stevens suggests that the rupee with the plain flower (as is the one above) may have been struck at either Patna or Dacca. I (Oesho) have a personal preference for Dacca, but as Stevens writes, it is still speculative.

Any French mintage in the Bengal Presidency, during this period or earlier, should be entirely ruled out!!

The British were the first to obtain the privilege to mint in the Bengal Presidency. The other European Trading Companies had to bring, under more or less favorable conditions, their bullion to the mint to be coined into sicca rupees.

[asm]

Thank you Oesho for the information. I had picked up this coin in Dhaka.........

Amit

[Oesho]

I had picked up this coin in Dhaka.........

In a way this confirms my idea about its mint of origin.