dal - Mughal Coins

Provenance:

• Ex. Michael Sarnefors Collection; AH Baldwin&Sons, May 3rd 2006, Sale 45, lot 1053

Akbar became extremely impressed by the prophecy of Shaikh Salim Chisti, living at Sikri who told the emperor that he would have three sons. When this also happened, Akbar resolved to build an entirely new capital at Sikri in honour of the Shaikh. In 1571 the building activities for the new city got started. For its name the word Fathpur, denoting victory, was added to that of the existing village, Sikri. Fatpur Sikri was only fully inhabited for some fourteen years and from 1585, when Akbar moved his court to the Punjab, it became slowly abandoned and it never again recovered its brief magnificence. Today Fatpur Sikri is the world's most perfectly preserved ghost town. Rupees of Akbar of Fathpur are known for a few years, viz.: AH985 - 989.
Jahangir, on its way from Gujarat to Agra, stopped for three months at Fathpur Sikri, as a plague had broken out at the capital Agra. During this short stay the very rare zodiacal coin of Aries, dated AH1028/Ry.14, was struck at Fathpur mint. No later coins are known from this mint (http://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=26004)

Persian couplet: Hamasha hamchu zar mihr wa mah raij bad / baghrub wa sharq jahan sikka Allahabad (Like the gold of the sun and moon, may ever be current; In the world's east and west, the coin of Allahabad.)

During the last decade of Akbar's reign, his son Salim, the later emperor Jahangir, grew increasingly restive in the desire to assume supreme power. He rebelled outright several times and, as governor of the Subah of Allahabad, refused to recognize Akbar's suzerainty. The silver coins of this period were issued anonymously without following the imperial style, but with a Persian poetic couplet giving mint-name and sometimes the Ilahi month and date. Known dates Yr.44 to 49, as well as a not dated variety. (extracted from http://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=26025)

Beginning April 1618 (Julian calendar), Jahangir entered in his diary an innovation in coinage "Prior to this, it has been the rule that one side of gold coins my name has been engraved, and on the other side the name of the minting place, the month, and the regnal year. Around this time it occurred to me that instead of the month a figure of the constellation representing the month should be depicted. For example, for the month of Farwardin a figure of Aries could be made, and for the month of Ardibihisht the figure of Taurus, and so on for every month in which a coin was minted one side would bear a picture of the constellation in which the sun rose. This method is peculiarly my own and has never been used before." Ref.: The Jahangirnama, translated, edited and annotated by Wheeler M. Thackston, Oxford University Press, 1999.

Jahangir was at that time residing at Ahmadabad, where his innovation was put immediately in practice and silver rupees with the figure of Aries [month Farwardin 10th March to 11th April (Julian calendar) or 21st March to 22nd April (Gregorian calendar)] were struck.

For the next four months rupees where struck with the figure of Taurus (month: Ardibihisht), Gemini (month: Khurdad), Cancer (month: Tir) and Leo (month: Amardad).
Despite that Jahangir left Ahmadabad on the 21st of Shahrewar (2 September 1618, Julian calendar) for Agra, no rupees with the image of Virgo has ever been traced. Probably because Jahangir appointed his son prince Khuram (future emperor Shah Jahan) a staunch Muslim, as viceroy of the Subah of Gujarat and governor of Ahmadabad. By the orders of the governor and future emperor Shah Jahan, the coining of the Zodiac rupees at Ahmadabad seems to have been forbidden.

The next issue of a zodiac coin, however, is a gold mohur struck at Fathepur (Sikri). Jahangir, on its way from Gujarat to Agra, stopped for three months at Fathpur Sikri, as a plague had broken out at the capital Agra. During this short stay the very rare zodiacal coin of Aries, dated AH1028/Ry.14, was struck at Fathpur mint.
The zodiacal coins of Ahmadabad are all struck in silver, most other zodiac coins are of gold and the majority struck at the capital Agra.
The gold zodiac mohurs attracted already in the middle of the 17th century the fancy of collectors and as the demand could not meet the supply, they got imitated. Consequently original zodiac mohurs are rarely offered for sale these days. (extracted from http://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=26430)

Provenance:

• AH Baldwin&Sons; Autumn Argentum Auction, 7 Nov 2009, lot 289

For an historical background of this series, please see: http://www.neocollect.com/item/1457/

Provenance:

• Ex. Dr. Prudhomme collection.

Counterfeit Sagittarius (Centaur) based on the mohur. Probably Lane-Poole's class 2 forgery (p.lxxxiii), 19th century or a bit earlier. BMC377-385 (this one BMC 381).

Counterfeit Pisces based on the mohur.

Provenance:

• AH Baldwin&Sons; Auction 53, September 25th 2007, lot 1758

Jahangir experimented with increasing the weight of the silver rupee, striking 20% heavier pieces called "jahangiri", and 25% heavier pieces called "sawai". The couplet reads:

sikka zad dar shahr-e-agrah, khusru-e-giti panah
shahe nooruddin jahangir, ibn akbar badshah

is the emperor of the refuge of the world, struck coin in the agra city
shah nooruddin jahangir, son of badshah akbar