336, Lot: 426. Estimate $100. Sold for $60. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

INDIA, Mughal Empire. Muhyi al-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir. 1658-1707. AR Rupee (24.5mm, 10.83 g, 3h). Struck by the British East India Co. In the name of the Mughal emperor. Surat mint. KM 300.86 and the previous lot for prototype. VF, schroff mark on each side. Very crude style.

Surat, on the Gulf of Cambay, was the site of the first permanent trading post established by the British East India Company on Mughal territory in 1612, and was the principal seat of the EIC until Bombay was ceded to the Company in 1668. At the height of its power, Surat had a population estimated at around 800,000, but by the 18th century it had been reduced to approximately 1/10 that size.