ORIENTAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

ORIENTAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

Secretary General Regional Secretaries Mr. - - Broome General Section: Mr. G. P. Hennequin

Newsletter Editor Europe: Dr. M. B. Mitchiner,

UK. and Eire: Mr. K. W. Wiggins Annual Subscription £4-00; H.FI. 18-00; 9-00 dollars North America: Dr. Craig Burns Newsletter number 75 December 1981 Members news

Mr…. West Germany is looking for Temple Tokens of India and Java, together with coins of Nepal and

Morocco. Mr…. (352) of Sikkim has duplicate specimens of some scarce Tibetan tangkas available. He is

now interested in coins and glass weights of the Fatimid and allied dynasties, as well as rare Islamic coins and

books. He has numerous coins and books for disposal. Mrs….(690) has changed her name and is now Mrs….. We hear with regret that… has died recently. Most members will be familiar with some knowledgeable publications he has written for our Society.

OCMOIG (Opzoekings Centrum voor het Midden-Oosten en de Islam Gemeenschap; Marie-Louise Square 32,

Bus 108, 1040 Brussel, Belgium). This study centre has been founded by Raf van Laere (400) and some

friends to encourage research on the Middle Eastern and Islamic community; one of the first aims being to

initiate a quarterly bulletin containing article in several languages written by specialists from a number of

countries. The first issue is due in the spring of 1982. The membership fee for the study centre, including

issues of the bulletin, is 700 Belgian francs.

Darphane ve Damga, Matbaasi Genel Mudurlugu, Yildiz, Istanbul (The Turkish State Mint) is producing a

series of coins for the 100th. Anniversary of Ataturk.

Forgery of the Sino-Tibetan ‘Lukuan’ rupee. by K. Gabrisch

In earlier Newsletters (50, 51) attention was drawn to forgeries of rare Tibetan coins. In December 1980

I saw in Katmandu a specimen of this very rare ‘Lukuan’ rupee, which was doubtless forged. Below is a photo

of this item (diam. 30.6 mm.; weight 11.222 gm.): - Obv. Rev.

The characteristic features of two genuine ‘Lukuan’ rupees are:

diam. 31.2 mm. and weight 11.520 gm. from my collection

diam. 30.0 mm. and weight 11.600 gm. as published by N. G. Rhodes (Spink’s NC. LXXXV, 1977, 107-8)

The specimen published here is a cast counterfeit, a mode of manufacture well shown by the ‘dendritic’

surface structure. It seems to be a modern fake, but I was not able to learn where this piece was manufactured. Some Recent Publications Carmichael, H. and Howe, B., A Report on several Lat, Numismatics International Bull., Oct. 1981, 306 - 8. MacKenzie, K. M., Mehmet ‘Ali and the Nile Barrage: an Egyptian medal of 1857, Spink’s Numismatic Circular, November 1981, 355. Mitchiner, M. B., Siva, “Lord of the Dance”, represented by the Damaru on some early Burmese coins, Spink’s Numismatic Circular, November 1981, 360 - 361. Mitchiner, M. B., Two Chinese silver cash-style Presentation Pieces of the T’ai P’ing Rebellion, Seaby’s Coin

and Medal Bulletin, November 1981, 320 - 322. Rhodes, N. G., The development of currency in Tibet, NI. Bull., Oct. 1981, 295 - 305.

West, K. W., Ananga Pala who?, NI. Bull., Oct. 1981, 311 - 312.

Selected Numismatic Studies of Paul Z. Bedoukian, Armenian Numismatic Society Special Publication no. 1,

1981, pp. xxxvi + 570, pl. 72, cloth bound, 35 dollars. Available from the Armenian NS., 8511 Beverly

Park Place, Pico Rivera, California 90660, USA. Essays on Armenian Numismatics in memory of Father Clement Sibilian on the centennial of his death,

ed. D. Kouymjian and.لا‎ - Nercessian, pp. 167, pl. 21, stiff covers, 30 dollars: from the Armenian NS. International Numismatic Commission, newsletter no. 3, Sept. 1981, ed. H. A. Cahn, Rutimeyerstrasse 12,

CH - 4054 BASEL. A few copies are also available from Michael Broome (please send 4 IRC’s). — Meetings

The ONS meeting in London on October 24th. was attended by 17 members, including Mr. Ken West from

the Netherlands. The auction raised £41-60 for ONS funds. Several papers were read at the ONS meeting held

in Koln on November 7th. There will be an ONS meeting in New York on Friday 11th. December at 6 pm.

in St. James Suite B, the Sheraton Hotel, 7th. Avenue between 52nd. and 53rd. Streets. This will include a

talk by Stephen Album on ‘Retention of coin types in Oriental Numismatics’. The Colloquium on Late

Kushan Numismatics sponsored by the ONS at the British Museum on November 5 - 6th. was well attended

by participants from several countries who reached a reached a greater degree of uniformity in their

conclusions than one might have anticipated for this coin series. Publication of the papers is anticipated, please contact Joe Cribb at the British Museum for details. Some copper coins of Qunduz. by K. W. Wiggins

Some years ago I acquired a group of eighteen rather crude Islamic copper coins, all in extremely dirty

condition but fortunately not suffering from corrosion. At first glance they appeared to be all of one type

and their generally uniform covering of dirt suggested they had formed a small hoard, or part of a larger one.

I was later able to clean them successfully in order to reveal detail. The coins were found to be emissions

from the mint of Qunduz in Northern Afghanistan and the group contained four varieties of basically the

same general type. As may be observed from the accompanying photographs all the coins have been

overstruck on earlier issues. At this point it would be convenient to describe each variety in detail. AE, weight 9.26 gm., diameter 29 mm.

This is a coin of uncertain attribution, countermarked with an antelope inside a circle. The side of the

coin that has been countermarked is virtually obliterated. The other side bears traces of an ornate border containing a Persian inscription (fig. 1).

AE, weight 8.61 gm., diameter 30 mm. قر‎

Obv. within a wreath, an antelope standing left. Above right - se aes Rev. inscription within an ornate border - ضرمب‎

‘This coin is countermarked on the obverse with a Persian inscription (unread) in a small square.

AE, weight 11.4 gm., diameter 30 mm. 7. Obv. within a circle, an antelope standing right. Above - sie Rev. asno. 2

3a AE, weight 9.46 gm., diameter 28 mm. Obv. within a thorny wreath, an antelope standing right. No date

Rev. within a diamond shaped frame within a wreath, the inscription as on no. 2, but with partial date ‘9’ to right (fig. 3) بنار‎ > The reverse bears a countermark - ©AE, weight 9.13 gm., diameter 34 mm. Obv. as no. 3, but countermarked as no. 3a Rev. asno. 2 AE, weight 9.40 gm., diameter 32 mm.

Obv. within a wreath, an antelope standing left

Rev. asno. 2 This last variety (fig. 4) comprises the bulk of the group (13 coins) and includes two which have been countermarked as no. 3a (fig. 5).

The animal depicted on these coins is almost certainly a gazelle, either the Indian gazelle (Gazella bennetti) or the Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas). Both species are native to Northern Afghanistan.

To the best of my knowledge the coins described above have only been published by Valentine and by Mitchiner. It is possible that they have appeared in other works which have not come to my attention. Valentine attributed these coins to Qandahar in Afghanistan, but on the basis of an incorrect reading of the mint name. He illustrated my numbers 4 and 2. Dr. Mitchiner published one coin and attributed it to the Shaybanid Khan ‘Abd al Latif (AH 947 - 959), giving the correct mint name, but preceeded by the word > pu

عدل

Qunduz (36° 45’ N, 69° 55” E) is in Northern Afghanistan, to the west of Badakhshan and less than

50 miles south of the Oxus river. In AH 907 (AD 1501 - 02) Qunduz, together with the towns of Hissar and Termez in the valley of the Amu river, were under the control of one Khusru Shah, who ruled the area as a

suzerain subject to Hussain Bayqara of the Timurid dynasty.

Khusru Shah was a Kipchak of the lesser nobility, who in his youth had been a favourite of the Tarkhans,

the aristocracy of Samarqand. He later went over to Mahmud Mirza (AH 899 - 906), the Timurid ruler in

53113102110, who, about AH 903 (AD 1497 - 98), appointed Khusru Shah as governor of Qunduz and the

adjacent territory between the mountains of Ferghana and the Hindu Kush known as Karateghin.

During the time of Khusru Shah, about AD 1504, Zahir al din Muhammad, better known as Babur who

later became the founder of the Mughal Empire, entered the territory of Karateghin after he had been ousted

from Ferghana following a series of unsuccessful battles with the Uzbeks; who were now pushing south from

Transoxiana. Khusru Shah did not welcome this intrusion into his territory. Khusru’s rule in Qunduz had been

tyrannical and oppressive. The local population, knowing of Babur’s noble birth and valiant reputation, on

hearing of his arrival flocked to join him. Whilst Babur was thus gaining strength in the foothills of the Hindu

Kush, the Shaybanid Khan of the Uzbeks, who had taken Andijan and Ferghana, advanced upon Hissar and Qunduz.

The Timurid, Husain Bayqara, could offer no effective resistence as he was then at Herat, many marches away, and his age had rendered him irresolute. Khusru was therefore left to fend for himself. His army was

deserting in appreciable numbers to Babur who had established a stronghold in the mountains. Being in no position to fight, Khusru had to surrender to either the Uzbeks of Shaybani, or to Babur. He chose the latter,

and Babur took into his service the remnants of Khusru’s army. Khusru Shah was now without territory or following, but he was permitted by Babur to depart for Khorasan, taking with him much of his wealth. Babur

was unable to pit his strength against the advancing Uzbeks and turned south towards Kabul, which he

subsequently conquered before turning to the invasion of India.

The copper coins described above may therefore be said to be Timurid provincial issues struck under the

authority of Khusru Shah (c. AH 903 - 910). Similar coins are said to have been struck at Hissar and at

Termez, but I have never seen any from those mints. Timurid coins of the 9th. century AH struck at Herat

bear on the obverse a deer similar to that on the present Qunduz issues,

The countermarks on these coins are interesting, but unfortunately that on no. 2 is blundered and

cannot be read with any certainty. The countermarks on nos. 3a, 3b and 4 can be translated as “Equivalent

to one dinar’’, which indicates a depreciation of the coin by 100% at some period; possibly on the occupation of Qunduz by the Shaybanids.

Babur Namah, translated by Mrs. A. S. Beveridge, London 1921

History of India - Babur and Humayun, London 1854

Babur, first of the Mughals, by F. Grenard, London 1931

Oriental Coins and their values, The world of Islam, by Michael Mitchiner, London 1977

Modern copper coins of the Muhammedan States, by W. H. Valentine, London 1911

Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5