Sale: Triton VIII, Lot: 1626. Estimate $1500.  Closing Date: Monday, 10 January 2005.  Sold For $1500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

INDIA. Mughal Emperors. Muhayyi-ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir. 1658-1707. AR Half Rupee (4.97 gm, 12h). Alamgirpur (Cooch Behar) mint. ND, struck 1661-1663. Bengali legends both sides, citing Aurangzeb. KM 296.1; Wright -; Hull -; MNI -. Good VF. Rare Mughal occupation issue. ($1500)

In 1661 the expansionist Mughal governor of Bengal, Mir Jumla, invaded and occupied Assam and Cooch Behar. Over the course of the next year, the Mughal armies faced their worst enemy: the tropical climate of the Bramaputra Region. By 1663 the debilitated Mughals withdrew from Assam, Mir Jumla was deposed, and the Raja of Cooch Behar, Prana Narayan (1633-1666), was able to reclaim his kingdom. Nonetheless, both Assam and Cooch Behar had to swear nominal allegiance to the emperor in Dehli.