Sale: Triton IX, Lot: 1782. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 January 2006.  Sold For $4750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

INDIA, Princely States. Cooch Behar. Jagaddipendra Narayan. 1922-1970. AV Nazarana Half "Mohur" (8.28 g, 12h). Coronation issue. Dated Local era CB 413 (1922 AD). Coat-of-arms with lion and elephant supporters; minute I below / Brahmi legend- "Sri Sri Jagaddipendra Narayana Bhup", and date. Rhodes-Bose 79a; KM 230; Friedberg -. EF, coppery toning, very high relief rims. Very rare. ($5000)

After the local coinage of silver half rupees was demonetized in 1866, the only coinage struck for each prince of Cooch Behar was a coronation issue. Although R & B and KM both call this a 'Mohur", it is in fact an off-metal strike of the standard half rupee, which had been the only denomination struck in Cooch Behar since the 18th century; 101 gold coins and 1001 silver coins were struck for each new ruler. The 20th century coronation coins, of Raja Rajendra and Jitendra, were struck by a Calcutta goldsmith named Grish, who signed the dies beneath the coat-of-arms. His name was removed from the final issue, of Jagaddipendra, to be replaced by a tiny "I", a feature which appears to have been overlooked in the literature. The direct line of Cooch Behar maharajas ended in 1992 with the death of the younger brother of Jagaddipendra, Virajendra Narayan; neither brother left children.