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APPENDIX H
COINS OF AKBAR
Mankind in every country and in every age has always been in want of coins wherewith to perform the daily transactions of life. Such coins are usually of two varieties, viz., stamped coins and unstamped coins. The stamped coins generally bear the impression of the monarch's figure, the royal ensign or only the name of the monarch and the year of issue. The unstamped coins are used by enumeration only. Such latter kinds of currency are bitter almonds, cowries, etc. Again stamped coins have special different nomenclatures. Thus in modern times in India the gold coin is called the 'guinea', the silver coin is called the 'rupee' and the copper coin is called the 'pice'. History records the use in every age of gold, silver and copper as the chief metals for minting coins. In very old times coins made of tin and other metals were also current; but within the last three to four hundred years coins made of the abovementioned three main metals are found to be generally current. Of course the nomenclatures of such coins differ with the difference in weights; but the metals used in minting them are generally these three.
The coins of the time of Akbar proposed to be described in this appendix were made of the aforesaid three chief metals. These metals were absolutely pure and devoid of alloy.
The coins of Akbar's time were of different varieties. For the sake of securing facility in transactions Akbar had greatly sub-divided his coinage.
Let us first turn to the examination of the gold coins of
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
