Help, please - India / Tonk State? Apparently purchased 4/1978 1 1

[EarlyUS.com]

I would appreciate any insights on the coin depicted.  The holder seems to indicate it was purchased 45 years ago.  Thank you.

Edited May 9, 2023 by EarlyUS.com

[JKK]

The top image is rotated about 100 degrees clockwise, which makes it hard to read the date. The bottom image is rotated about 160 degrees clockwise, which also makes it hard to read. It's definitely Tonk, and the date is AH 13xx. It looks like 1311, and if a rupee (it appears to be), that's an issue because the dates for Y#28 include only one that is credible here: AH 1329. I think that's what it is and that we're not able to see the little cup that turns a 1 into a 2. AH 1330 is also a slim possibility; I see zero chance it could be anything later, as they skip to the 1340s and that vertical stroke pretty much could not be a 4.

To confirm that it's a rupee, weigh it and I'd suggest subtracting 2g for the flip and staples. The standard weight is said to vary from 10.7 to 11.6g.

The Numista entry creates some confusion because the image they show gives a date in CE rather than AH, and that's not true of your coin. Yet the hard and fast reality is the 13xx, which according to KM can only apply to Y#28. It is possible, even likely, that there's a variant not being shown in either place. If you want to have a dig through zeno.ru, look under the Indian Princely State of Tonk and search for rupees, and see which one most nearly matches what you have. That leaf is a dead Tonk giveaway.

[EarlyUS.com]

I have added two new images, hopefully in the correct orientation and in better resolution.

My scale weighs the coin at exactly 11.03 grams.

Edited May 11, 2023 by EarlyUS.com

[JKK]

I'm going to look deeper. I think the date is 1311, more likely 1312 or 1313 and that it's older than people thought. Now that I see it properly oriented (well done), I have a very hard time with the dating as discussed. No one seems to have seen the 8 in front of 13, for example, but I haven't looked to see just how far back Tonk rupees go. It obviously cannot be 8131 or 81312. I can't find the zarb, quite but can definitely read the name 'Ali (stands out like a neon sign).

[JKK]

Okay. My best guess is Y#20, AH 1312 or 1313. There was no AH 1314, which is the only other reasonable possibility. The image in KM has only modest overlap in the strike (common with these, where the actual die was far wider than the flan) with your coin. Nice piece. Tonk is pretty common, but it's still an appealing coin. The weight is where it should be, so that's good.

[Just Bob]

On 5/10/2023 at 9:23 PM, JKK said:

The top image is rotated about 100 degrees clockwise, which makes it hard to read the date. The bottom image is rotated about 160 degrees clockwise, which also makes it hard to read. It's definitely Tonk, and the date is AH 13xx. It looks like 1311, and if a rupee (it appears to be), that's an issue because the dates for Y#28 include only one that is credible here: AH 1329. I think that's what it is and that we're not able to see the little cup that turns a 1 into a 2. AH 1330 is also a slim possibility; I see zero chance it could be anything later, as they skip to the 1340s and that vertical stroke pretty much could not be a 4.

To confirm that it's a rupee, weigh it and I'd suggest subtracting 2g for the flip and staples. The standard weight is said to vary from 10.7 to 11.6g.

The Numista entry creates some confusion because the image they show gives a date in CE rather than AH, and that's not true of your coin. Yet the hard and fast reality is the 13xx, which according to KM can only apply to Y#28. It is possible, even likely, that there's a variant not being shown in either place. If you want to have a dig through zeno.ru, look under the Indian Princely State of Tonk and search for rupees, and see which one most nearly matches what you have. That leaf is a dead Tonk giveaway.

 

On 5/11/2023 at 9:04 AM, JKK said:

I'm going to look deeper. I think the date is 1311, more likely 1312 or 1313 and that it's older than people thought. Now that I see it properly oriented (well done), I have a very hard time with the dating as discussed. No one seems to have seen the 8 in front of 13, for example, but I haven't looked to see just how far back Tonk rupees go. It obviously cannot be 8131 or 81312. I can't find the zarb, quite but can definitely read the name 'Ali (stands out like a neon sign).

 

On 5/11/2023 at 5:24 PM, JKK said:

Okay. My best guess is Y#20, AH 1312 or 1313. There was no AH 1314, which is the only other reasonable possibility. The image in KM has only modest overlap in the strike (common with these, where the actual die was far wider than the flan) with your coin. Nice piece. Tonk is pretty common, but it's still an appealing coin. The weight is where it should be, so that's good.

To paraphrase Larry the Cable Guy: I don't care who you are, that's just impressive right there.

[JKK]

On 5/13/2023 at 11:39 AM, Just Bob said:

 

To paraphrase Larry the Cable Guy: I don't care who you are, that's just impressive right there.

Swing on by sometime, and I'll show you a bunch of them, so that you find it rather less impressive. The weirdest thing about these rupees is their thickness. I'm talking 1/4" thick is not even strange. A lot of the civic coppers are as thick (and usually harder to attribute). They're like little silver and copper hockey pucks.