Lot No : 347
Auction No : 8
Bombay Presidency, King William III & Queen Marry, Silver Rupee, 11.50grms, Minted in Bombay, RY06, Obv. sikka zad dauran king william and queen mary (Coin struck during the reign of King William and Queen Mary), Rev. sanah julus 06 angrez shaheen zarb munbai (Struck at Bombay in the auspicious year 06 of the English rulers), pleasing specimen, with complete strike on both side, Very Rare and historically important coin. From 1672, the East India Company established a mint at Bombay and began striking coinage for local use. Initial silver issues featured English designs, but these failed to gain acceptance in wider Indian trade. Recognizing Mughal gold and silver coins remained dominant, the Company switched to rupees with Persian inscriptions in the Indian style, bearing the names of James II and later William III & Mary to make them more acceptable locally. By AH 1105 (1693–1694 CE), reports reached Emperor Aurangzeb, who was deeply displeased that the Company was issuing coins that could be mistaken for imperial issues. He sent his nobleman Khafi Khan to the Bombay factory to protest, objecting that foreign sovereigns on coinage struck without imperial authority did seriously infringe Mughal sovereignty and could be confused with official currency. Under Aurangzeb’s pressure, the Company ceased these issues, and most were withdrawn and melted down, explaining their extreme scarcity today.
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