| Obverse |
Legend: al-sultan al-a'zam zain al-'abidin, and frozen AH date 842 |
| Reverse |
Within central ornamental diamond: zarb Kashmir , date spelled out in margins |
| Date |
dated AH 842 (= 1438-39 CE), but probably issued any time during 1438-70 |
| Weight |
6.17 gm. |
| Dimensions |
16 x 16 mm. |
| Die axis |
n.a. |
| Reference |
Rajgor 2797, Goron-Goenka K9 |
| Comments |
The Kashmir Sultanate was not formed by conquest. Rather, Kashmir had been ruled for centuries by a Hindu dynasty until Shah Mirza, a Muslim from Swat and Chief Minister of the raja, married the raja's widow upon his death and assumed the throne in AH 747 (1346 CE). The Sultanate persisted until Kashmir was finally annexed by Akbar in AH 995 (1587 CE). The coinage of the Kashmir Sultanate is unique in that it has its own weight standard ... the sasnu of approximately 6.2 gm. All the coins are scarce to rare.
Zain al-'Abidin was the first sultan to issue silver coins. This coin carries a 7-pellet flower under the word sultan on the obverse. A CHOICE specimen of a SCARCE coin! |