1 Rupee - Ahmed Shah Bahadur Katak mint

Ahmed Shah Bahadur was the Mughal emperor whose reign became increasingly nominal as Maratha power expanded through the mid-18th century. The Marathas exercised the right to strike rupees in his name at several mints — Katak among them — a practice that projected legitimacy while keeping revenue firmly under Maratha control. The gap between the name on the coin and the actual issuing authority was not incidental; it was the point.

Katak, in Odisha, came under Maratha administration following their eastward campaigns in the 1750s. The mint there continued striking in the Mughal regal style long after Ahmed Shah was deposed in 1759.