BENGAL PRESIDENCY: AV ½ mohur (6.18g), "Murshidabad", year 19, Stv-5.31, Prid-69, East India Company issue struck at the Patna mint (1795-1796), identified by the secret mark (dot in right-hand circle of pellets on the obverse), oblique milling rising to the right, PCGS graded MS64. Pridmore assigned the silver & gold coins with the secret mark in the right-hand circle to Dacca, but further research by Paul Stevens has correctly reassigned this mark to Patna (in his book, "The Coins of the Bengal Presidency", pp. 217-219). Pridmore was unable to confirm any example of the half mohur, but Stevens noted one example that sold in the Baldwin's Sale 22, Lot 136, in 2000. This is of the highest rarity, perhaps only two pieces thus far confirmed. Patna was a Mughal mint from Akbar until AH1178, then British 1179-1183, though the name was changed to Azimabad by the Mughals during the middle of the year 1117 (1705).

Estimate: USD 3000 - 5000