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Auction: 25088 - The Nicholas Rhodes Collection of Nepalese Coins Part I
Lot: 21

Nepal, Mahendra Malla (1560-1574), Forgery of Tangka, [undated, original coin c.1650s], Obv. trident (triśūla) within central circle on lotus stalk and ornaments on either side, legend around, Śrīmat Kā?tamandupasyādhipatī, placed between two circles, Rev. thunderbolt (vajra) in centre, legend around, Śrī Śrī Jaya Mahendra Malla Devasya, placed between two circles, 10.08g, 12h (RGV M2), with some red deposits, this copy was probably made in the 1960s, it is one of two known variants, very fine, a rare "classical" forgery

Provenance

The Nicholas Rhodes Collection of Nepalese Coins and Medals: Part One

Hans Wittmann Collection, Munzzentrum (Koln), Auction 59, 29-31 October 1986, lot 2227



Only two genuine specimens of the tangka of Mahendra Malla were/ are known: One was displayed in the Kathmandu Numismatic Museum which was located in the old Royal Palace, “Hanuman Dhoka” from where (out of fear of a possible theft) it was transferred to Singha Durbar and in the early 1970s was destroyed in the fire of this largest building of Kathmandu.

Originally it was in the collection of the Nepalese epigraphist Hemraj Shakya who h sold his coin collection to the Archaeological Department of Nepal. The other tangka of Mahendra Malla was in the collection of late Mr. Vishnudhoj of Kathmandu. There were rumours of a second specimen existing in this private collection. The now destroyed genuine specimen of this rare coin is illustrated in Joshi (1962), plate 9, no. 1, in RGV (1989), plate 10, no. 180 (photographed by Carlo Valdettaro), and in Shrestha, M. (2005), p. 18, S. No. S.42.

There also exist two Nepalese postage stamps of 15-Paisa each (issued in December 1979) which feature obverse and reverse of a genuine tangka of Mahendra Malla.

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Estimate
£100 to £200

Starting price
£70