346, Lot: 617. Estimate $300. Sold for $180. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

INDIA, Mughal Empire. Muhyi al-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir. AH 1068-1118 / AD 1658-1707. AR Rupee (22mm, 11.26 g, 7h). Dar-us-Sultanat (Lahore) mint. Dually dated RY 43 and AH 1110 (AD 1699). Cf. Saran Singh, “The First Coins of the Sikhs,” ONS Newsletter 144 (Spring 1995), p. 8 (for a later Mughal issue with the symbol); Wright -; Hull 1770 var. (no khanda); KM 300.53 var. (same). VF, schroff marks. Extremely rare.

The Sikh khanda symbol on the second line of the reverse consists of a double-edged sword encircled by a chakram and flanked by two additional swords. As this coin predates the Sikh rise to power, the presence of the khanda symbol remains an enigma.