Coin identification

[GrafZahl]

Hello coin professionals!

Would you please help me identify this coin? Unfortunately I have no idea of Indian coins...The weight is around 18,8 grams.

Thanks and regards from Germany

Graf Zahl

[Figleaf]

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[THCoins]

Hello GrafZahl, and welcome to WoC.
Figleaf edited your pictures already a bit, so they are easier to view for our members. Great that you already gave size and weight as that is something which usually is really helpful.
There is not much to read on you coin. But i think this is what is usually called a "do dandi"  (double line) paisa. These were minted in the Maratha confederacy under the Bhonsla rajas. Hope that already gives you some keywords for further research.

[GrafZahl]

Thank you so much! I'll try to find out more now and hopefully find another comparison piece. 

[andyg]

It would seem to fit with this type,

- extract from the Coinage of the Bhonsla Rajas of Nagpur (Kulkarni, 1990)

[GrafZahl]

Hello andyg and thanks for your comment! In the meantime I also looked at zeno.ru but didn't find a coin 100% similar to my coin. This is not so important for me because I don't collect coins. I found it on a field and will give it to the local archaeologists. More important is the date. Bhonsla lived from 1695 - 1755. Can it be dated more precisely?

[andyg]

The book dates it to the period 1755-1772.

You found this in Germany?

[GrafZahl]

Yes, it's very strange.  Please don't ask me how it got here. 

[Figleaf]

At this time, coins struck in India were made with hand cut dies. It is unusual to find two coins that are exactly the same.

When it comes to immigration of coins from abroad, the usual suspects are merchants, sailors and soldiers. In this case, a sailor's souvenir of a trip to India is the most likely. There was not much trade between German states and Asia, but German sailors drifted to Amsterdam (and other places), e.g. to muster on VOC ships.

Another possibility is that it was lost by a collector last week, since you don't mention an archeological environment.

Peter