About Very Fine, Very Rare.

The Silver coins of the Nizam Shahi Sultans are a recent discovery - none were reported in G&G. (Two coins attributed to Murtaza Nizam Shah have been sold in private auction, weight 2.09g and a smaller fraction). This is the first Silver coin of Burhan Nizam Shah to have come to light. It has a very interesting weight which does not fit into any known weight-standards. It is likely that the weight was copied from Ottoman issues of Mehmet III from the region of Persian Gulf. The calligraphy and design of the coin is strongly influenced by Safavid coinage of Iran and points to the Persian influence that reached the Shia sultanate of Ahmadnagar through peoples and trade through the ports situated on the Konkan Coast and controlled by its rulers. The coin can therefore be viewed as an excellent example of cross-cultural and trans-regional influences in numismatics of regional Deccani Sultanates. Its uniqueness adds considerably to this significance.