Novamarketing Chiasso Medals Coins India B Mughal Empire India Mughal Empire Akbar Rupee

# 205Rupee AH 988 AkbarIndia B Mughal Empire
India – Mughal Empire – Akbar (AH 963-1014 / AD 1556-1605). Square Rupee AH 988 (AD 1580). Mint: Lahore (Dar al-Sultanat), Silver (ø 17x17 mm – w. 11.47 g.). Edge: plain. Lane-Poole 133. Liddle G-19 (gold). Brown 93 (gold). Whitehead –. Wright 98 (gold). KM 112.2 (gold).

Obverse:
Persian legend. Kalima (*) in centre within diamond formed by elongated letters (from top to bottom = La ilah illa Allah / Mohammed Rasul Allah = (There is) no god but Allah (and) Muhammad (is the) Messenger (of) Allah). In the margins the names of the four successors, partially visible (bi-sudq Abi Bekr = By the truth of Abu Bakr / bi-'adl 'Umar = by the justice of Umar / bi-haya Uthman = by the modesty of Usman / bi-'ilm 'Ali = by the wisdom of Ali).

Reverse:
Persian legend. In four lines the Ruler's name and titles, a pius wish and the Mint name with epithet (from top to bottom: Khallad Allah te'ala Mulkahu / Mohammad Akbar Badshah / Jalal ed-din Ghazi / Zarb dar al-Sultanat Lahore = Mohammad Akbar, Emperor, Glory of the Faith, Warrior against the infidels, (May) Allah on high perpetuate (his) Kingdom, struck at the Abode of the Sultanate, Lahore). Date (988) below the top line in centre.

Note:
Rupee minted from the dies of the gold Mohur. According to Mr Liddle copper was sometimes stamped with dies meant for gold coins by unscrupulous subordinates at the mint, in the absence of adequate supervision, and then covered with silver foil to be passed on as silver rupees (Liddle, p. 39). However the specimen above is certainly made in silver, as confirmed by metallographic analysis. Two other examples of this rupee are known, one preserved in the British Museum (Lane-Poole, No. 133) and one in the Dr. Prudhomme Collection (Plate coin in the South Asia Coin Group's on-line catalogue). Another Rupee struck at the Urdu Zafar Qarin mint with the dies of a gold Mohur is known (South Asia Coin Group - Dr. Prudhomme Collection). There are similar tokens made in the 19th century as pseudo-numismatic presentation pieces. (Look in the Miscellaneous section).

(*) Kalima-e-Tayyab (the First Kalima): is the testification of faith in Islam. (Tayyab = Purity).

Metallographic analysis:
Ag 94 % / Cu 5.5 % / Pb 0.3 %
(Examination performed using an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDXRF), model Fischersope XAN-FD, on the coin’s surface (ca 100 microns depth) without any mechanical preparation).

Web References:
http://www215.pair.com/sacoins/public_html/mughal/mughal_8_akb.html
http://www215.pair.com/sacoins/public_html/mughal/mughal_9_akb.html
http://overlordsstampandcoincollection.blogspot.com/2008_12_28_archive.html
http://www.neocollect.com/coll/90/
http://www.treasurerealm.com/coinpapers/countrycoins/I/India_Mughal.html

Literature:
Brown C. J. – Catalogue of Coins in the Provincial Museum Lucknow / The Mughal Emperors – Vol. I-II, Oxford, 1920 (reprinted 1985).
Lane-Poole Stanley – The Coinage of the Moghul Emperors of Hindustan in the British Museum – London, 1892 (reprinted 1983).
Liddle, A – Coinage of Akbar / The Connaisseur's Choice – Gurgaon, India, 2005.
Whitehead R. B. – Catalogue of Coins in the Panjab Museum, Lahore / The Mughal Emperors – Vol. II, Oxford, 1914 (reprinted 1977).
Wright H. N. – Catalogue of the Coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta / The Mughal Emperors – Vol. III, Oxford, 1908 (reprinted 1972).