The First Known Gold Tanka of Khandesh Sultanate: Shams al-Din Adil Shah II (1457-1503 AD), unpublished in G&G and other references, first piece ever known, 10.66g. Obv: Arabic inscription al-Sultān al-'Āzam Shams al-Duniyā wa al-Din Abu al-Mahāmid Adilshāh ibn Mubārakshāh al -Fāruqi. Rev: Shahada within a square border; in four quadrants of the margin, Darb al-Sikkāh Aliyābād Sanah 880 clockwise from left.

A perfectly centered and well-preserved coin, with full legend visible in the margins; sharply rendered details.
Extremely fine, Unique and of highest rarity.
An extraordinary opportunity for collectors to acquire a true masterpiece of Sultanate coinage.

The Sultanate of Khandesh was founded by Malik Ahmad Faruqi, or Malik Raja, who claimed descent from Caliph Umar, one of the four Rashidoon (“rightly guided”) Caliphs of Islam. Umar's appellation was “al-Fāruq”, hence the name “Fāruqi” of the dynasty of Malik Ahmad. In the aftermath of the secession of the Bahmani Sultanate from Delhi, Malik Raja established himself at Thalner on the banks of the Tapi river. Firuz Tughlaq appointed Malik Raja as the governor of that region. But soon after the death of Firuz, Malik Raja became completely independent of Delhi. By 1390, he carved out a small kingdom for himself in present-day North Western Maharashtra, in the region traditionally known as Khandesh.
Nasir Khan Faruqi, the successor of Malik Raja, was the first to assert political dominance. He consolidated Khandesh and expanded his realm Eastwards by capturing the fort of Asirgarh from its local Ahir overlords. He established the city of Burhanpur in honour of the Sufi saint Burhanuddin Ghareeb and moved his capital there. He also established matrimonial relations with the Bahmanis. However, these activities did not deter the powerful Sultans of Gujarat to threaten Khandesh and ultimately seek the subugacy of successive Sultans, who accepted the suzerainty of Gujarat.
The great grandson of Nasir Khan, Adil Khan II, was probably the strongest Sultan of Khandesh. He had a long reign and expanded the Khandesh rule further to the East, defeating local Gond rulers. He assumed the title “Shah-i Jharkhand” to mark the conquest of these forested lands. He tried to make most of the rivalries between the Gujarat, Malwa and Gulbarga Sultanates, often allying with the strongest party to eke out yet another chunk of land and expand his territory. He even stopped paying tribute to Gujarat but this impertinence raised the brow of his Gujarati overlord, the great Mahmud 'Begda'. The Gujarat army overran Khandesh in 1498. Adil Khan II agreed to pay the tribute but died soon afterwards. His reign undoubtedly marked the political zenith of the otherwise weak Sultanate.
The inscriptions on the coins reveal that his laqab was 'Shamsuddin'. The qunya “Abu al-Mahāmid” (father of the one with laudable qualities) has echoes of similar patronymic titles on the coins of Gujarat and the mention of the family name “al-Fāruqi” follows the pattern of similar mentions on coins of Malwa (al-Khalji) and Gulbarga (al-Bahmani). The date AH880 suggests that the coin was struck in 1475-76AD. This was a year close to a political alliance through marriage that Adil Khan II struck with Sultan Ahmad Shah II of Gulbarga, much to the dislike of the Sultans of Gujarat and Malwa.
The coin offers another unique aspect - the mint-name 'Aliyābād'. There is a small village named Aliyābād in Northern Maharashtra, halfway between the forts of Salher and Mulher, which could well have been a part of the Khandesh Sultanate. Other centres of power in the Sultanate were Nandurbar, Thalner and the forts of Laling, Narnala and Asir. It is likely that Aliyābād was an Islamic alias of one of these places.