BENGAL PRESIDENCY: AE ½ anna (14.72g), Pulta, AH1195 year 22, KM-127, Prid-192, John Prinsep series, struck 1780-1786, bold strike, EF to AU. John Prinsep opened a copper mint at Pulta in 1780 under authority of the government, after he and Alexander Cunningham discovered the copper mines at Rotasgarh. The mint operated from 1780 to 1786. By 1788 Prinsep left India and decamped for home, arriving in London with an enormous £40,000 fortune, primarily derived from his indigo ventures, which he used to set himself up in business as an East India agent and Italian silk merchant, a step made easier by his role as an East India Company shareholder.
Estimate: USD 60 - 80