MADRAS PRESIDENCY: AV mohur, ND (1819), KM-421.2, Prid-241, East India Company issue, large letters in legend variety, saltwater damaged, yet exhibiting satin-smooth, nearly matte-like surfaces from time spent in an underwater environment, similar to other examples found on the wreck of the East India Company ship Fame, and likely from that wreck, NGC UNC Details. The Fame was built in 1816 in Calcutta and traded between India and Britain. During a stopover at Table Bay, Cape Town, it crashed into sea rocks and broke in two. Most of the passengers and crew were rescued, but ten lives were lost, along with trunks filled with coins. The Fame was forgotten until 1965 when its wreck was discovered. Many of coins, including gold coins of the Mughal Empire and the Madras Presidency, were found scattered across the ocean floor.

Estimate: USD 1200 - 1500