1 Rupee - Mahmud Shah Kabul Mint

Mahmud Shah ruled Afghanistan twice — his first reign ended when his brother Shuja al-Mulk seized Kabul in 1809, and his restoration in 1810 came only through the military support of Fateh Khan, the powerful Barakzai wazir who effectively controlled the throne. This rupee dates to that second, deeply unstable reign, during which Mahmud was little more than a figurehead. Fateh Khan would be captured and blinded by 1818, touching off a civil war that fragmented the Durrani empire permanently. The Kabul mint continued striking in Mahmud's name well past his practical authority.