Gwalior, Shahjahanpur Mint, Silver Rupee,15 RY, In the name of Shah Alam II, Obv: Persian legend “Sikka Mubarak Badshah Ghazi Shah Alam”, Rev: Persian legend “sana 15 julus”, trishul mint mark & “zarb Shahjahanpur” at the bottom, 11.1g, 22.00mm, (Unlisted in major catalogs), toning, choice extremely fine, Very Rare.

Note: This coin was struck in 1775 AD when Gwalior came under the control of Rohillas Sardar Dundey Khan Shahjahanpuri. After the battle of Miranpur Katra, the territory was annexed by Shuja’a ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh. This coin could have been issued by anyone of these two contenders but as this specimen bears a Trishul as a mint-mark, it is more likely to have been an issue of Awadh.

It is also possible that Shahjahanpur is the present-day Shajapur in central Madhya Pradesh, which was named in the honour of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan who halted here in 1640. It is said that the original name was Shahjahanpur and was subsequently shortened to Shajapur. This town was under the control of Gwalior and it is likely that a mint had operated here is 1775 under the aegis of the Maratha.