The Shah Dynasty ruled Nepal (including some of its previous incarnations) for hundreds of years until very recently. Coins from the Shah Dynasty’s many eras are collected by many Nepal coin buyers today, with some quite rare pieces and some newer coins both proving popular, in silver and gold as well as copper and other metals.
The dynasty began during the 1500s, but rose to true prominence in 1768 with the rise of Gorkha’s King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who finally unified Nepal. The dynasty ruled until the mid 1800s, when the Rana family took power and reduced the royal family’s role to that of figureheads.
The coins of this Rana period continued in the style of previous coins, with copper paisa, silver mohars and dams, and a few gold coins issued. The Shah royals retook power in 1951 when the last Rana Prime Minister resigned; by this time Nepalese coinage had been decimalized, and only rupee and paisa coins were made (as well as gold asarphis).
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In 1990 Nepal became a constitutional monarchy, but in 2001 King Birendra and other members of the royal family were killed. Nepal abolished the monarchy completely in 2007, and the days of the Shah Dynasty appeared to come to an end after hundreds of years, and ending Nepal’s days as a Hindu kingdom. Coins now are issued by the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.
