Indian collector buys King William IV Double Mohurs gold coin for Rs 1.3 million at auction
The trend in the past few years has shown that there still lies, a very active interest in gathering collectibles from by gone era, especially from countries in Asia. After some historic auctions like the 1910 Chinese Dragon coin and the rare Korean gold coin auction, it is the turn of a King William IV Double Mohurs gold coin which gained the record setting price of Rs.1.3 million ($26,382), at an auction in India, making it the highest ever sum paid to acquire such a coin in India. Issued in 1835, through the royal mint in the Indian port city of Kolkata, these gold coins were issued as one of the first in their series and went into circulation with the following year.
The anonymous numismatist based in India is currently rejoicing, as this historic memorabilia has indeed fetched him a much awaited lump sum. Though his earlier estimate for the coin was slightly higher at around Rs.1.5 million, he seems to have been rather happy with what he got. The winning bidders, Mr. Arvind Kumar and his son Abhishek, paid a total sum which included the taxes amounting to approximately Rs. 200,000. However, this auction brings back to light one of India’s most historic memorabilia which had its origin in the British rule for over 2 centuries.
Going into details, the coin is known to weigh 23.32 gm, and originated in the Royal Mint located in Kolkata, during the year 1835. During its creation, Robert Saunders was the Mint Master whose initials are engraved on coin, apart from King William IV facial picture on obverse side. The diameter of this coin which is known to be 32 mm went into circulation in the year 1836, after the then British government released it to the general public as legal tender. Apart from that, the brighter side of this Marudhar Arts auction is, that the coin has been kept in prime condition and bears negligible marks of corrosion or damage. This is perhaps the reason why it managed to successfully fetch the final bidding price, as the other surviving Double Mohur coins have been damaged far more, and this example remains in such well maintained condition.
