coin collecting in deccan 1908_bnj_5_12

8/20/2019 Coin Collecting in Deccan 1908_BNJ_5_12

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C O I N C O L L E C T I N G I N T H E D E C C A N .

B Y M A J O R R . P . J A C K S O N ,

I n d i a n A r m y [ R et i r e d .

H E N t h e B r i t i sh - I n d i a n r u p e e w a s e m a n c i p a t e d fr om t h e

supersc r ipt ion of th e sh ad owy k in gsh ip of De lh i in 1835,

I ndia possessed some th ree h undred va r ie t ies of c urren c y ,

for nearly eve ry na tive state had its own coin age, the

pr inc es rega rdin g th e pr iv i leg e of c oining as ins ignia of ind ependen t

rule . T h e Co urt of Direc tors , h av ing p lac ed th e Br i t i sh -I ndian

c oin age upon a sat is fac tory bas is , endeav oured to es tabl ish a

uniform syste m throug hou t the native states, bu t the princes declined

any c h an ge in th e ir h and -ma de and debased rupees . " I n th e sevent ies

th e Gov ern m en t of I nd ia again tac kled th e problem b y offering to c oin

for the states m on ey of the same w eigh t and fineness as that c irculating

in Brit ish territory, in wh ich i t would be lega l tender, p rovided that

rulers consenting to the proposal would agree to c lose their mints for a

term of y ears . A few of th e smal ler s tates ac c epted th is c onc ess ion ;

but the m ajo rity held aloof, and i t w as not unti l the pa ssin g of the

Cu rre nc y A c t ancl th e c los ing of th e B om ba y and Ca lc ut ta m ints to th e

free c oin age of s i lver in 1893, th at an apprec iab le advan c e was ma de

in mo neta ry reforms in feudatory India, and as their rupees wer e

eas i ly c ounterfe ited , and th e adven t of c h eap s ilver h ad made th e ir

imitation a very profitable speculation, many of the rulers were

imp elled to acce pt the Brit ish rupee as a me ans of self-protection.

1

" A notab le ex c ept ion, h owever , to th is gath er in g of th e feudatories

into th e I mperial c u rrenc y fo ld is H y der aba d, the ruler of wh ic h h as

r e si st e d t h e b l an d i sh m e n t s o f S i m l a a n d C a l c ut ta . . . . A s t he

mo netary troubles of th e grea t De c c a n Pr inc ipal i ty form a c ur ious ly

interest ing pa ge of i ts h is tory, a br ie f ep i tome of some of th em wi ll

1

From The Madras Mail.


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264

C o i n Co l l e ct i n g i n t h e D ec ca n .

not be inap prop iate at the present m om ent. Prior to the intro-

duct ion b y Sir S a lar Ju ng in the 'f if ties o f the H al l i S icc a rupe e and i ts

mul t iples , H yd er ab ad excel led the rest o f India in the num ber o f i ts

mints and the variet ies o f its currencies , wh ich star t ing with the o ld

D e l h i s t a n d a r d o f n in e

v r a s h a s

o f s i lver to two of a l loy , w ere so

attenuated by adul terat ion that the intr ins ic va lue o f many of the co ins

was not mo re than e ig ht annas. I t has been est imated that dur ing the

f irst ha l f o f last century the s tate , in addit ion to the hal f -a-dozen

m inta ges wh ich repr esen ted i ts o ff ic ia l curr iencies , had thirty or forty

others , wh ich we re from ten to fi fty per cent , b elow standard va lue.

T h e s e d e b a s e d t o k e n s g r a d u a l l y s u p e r s e d e d t h e s t a t e r u p e e s , a s t h e

latter were bo ug ht up as fast as they w ere m inted, anc l transm itted by

s p e c u l a t i v e s o w c a r s to p r i v a t e m a n u f a c t o r ie s o f c o i n w h e r e t h e y w e r e

mel ted, re-a l loyec l and issued as one o f the numerous brands o f money

in c ircu lation. I t app ears that any on e w ho was prepa red to pay for the

priv i lege was perm itted to co in rupees , and at one t ime th ere we re

bet we en thirty anc l forty priva te mints in act iv e opera t ion, turnin g out

lakh s o f spurious m one y, w hich found i ts w ay to a l l parts o f the

Ni zam 's dom inions. . . . S ir Sa lar Jun g introduced the H al l i

Sic ca as the s tate co in in the ear ly ' fi ft ies , and a l l o ther m inta ges w ere

d e c l a r e d t o b e n o l o n g e r c u r r e n t . A s , h o w e v e r , n o e n d e a v o u r w a s

ma de to reca l l ancl conv ert th e num erous variet ies o f o ld rupees , the y

continue d to c ircu late , and unti l qu i te recen t ly lakh s o f them were in

use in the distr ic ts . A s the rupe es we re a ll han d-m ade the y we re

easi ly counterfe i ted, and, doubt less , large addit ions were fo is ted on the

s t a t e c u r r e n c y b y t h is m e a n s . T e n o r t w e l v e y e a r s a g o ( 1 8 9 6 ) ,

i m p r o v e m e n t s in t h e H y d e r a b a d c u r r e n c y c o m m e n c e d w i t h t h e

i n t r o d u c t io n o f a m a c h i n e - m a d e r u p e e , w i t h m i l le d e d g e s ( F i g . 1 1 ) ;

but it was soon app aren t that the expe rt co in- forgers in the s tate we re

able to im itate it, as facsim iles ap pe are d wh ich could not b e dif feren-

t i a te d fr om t h e g e n u i n e t o k e n s . A t l e n g t h , o n t h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n o f

M r . C a s s o n W a l k e r , t h e A s s i s t a n t F i n a n c i a l M i n i s t e r , i t w a s d e c i d e d ,

to bui ld a new mint and equip it with m ach iner y and co in ing press es

fr om E n g l a n d , c a p a b l e o f t u r n i n g o u t t w o o r t h r e e l a k h s

p e r d i em ;

an d to reca l l gra du al ly the Hal l i S icc as anc l the o lder currencies , and


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V ar i et y o f M o n ey n t h e D ec ca n .

265

replac e th em with c oins wh ic h c ould not be readi ly imitated. T h e

man ufac ture of th e new rupee , s ty led th e M ah b ubia (F ig . 13) as a

c om plim ent to th e ruler wh o dec lined to abro gate h is c urrenc y pr iv i leges ,

was begu n th ree y ea rs ag o (1904) and up to date some s ix and a h al f

c ror es of c oins , inc lus ive of four-anna ancl two-anna p iec es , h ave been

m inted ancl place d in c irculation. . . . T h e copp er coin age (F ig . 16)

which has also bee n tak en in hand, is giv in g an infinity of trouble

ow in g to th e ingeniou s dev ic e s of both th e Sh roffs and Bunniah s .

T h e official rate of ex ch an ge is 96 pice per rupee, but the public

rare ly obtain mo re th an 86, th e d i fferenc e b e ing absorbed by th e

m one y -c h ang ers , wh o, h a vin g been ac c ustom ed for y ea rs to fix th e ir

ow n rates of ex c h a ng e , wi ll not ac c ept th e Go ver nm ent s tandard. T h e

diff iculty is be in g solved to som e exten t b y the dai ly sale at th e

Tr ea su ry ancl oth er of ficia l depots of some th ousands of p ic e at th e

offic ial rate ; but the amo un t placed in c irculation by this mea ns is not

suffic ient to m eet the dem an d ancl so che ck the fleecing of the public ."

T h e a bo ve ex trac ts from a lea ding art ic le in th e

a d r a s M a i l

are a

go od d esc r ipt ion of th e s tate of th e c urrenc y in th e Nizam's dominions

do w n to the yea r 1907. In rem ote stations whe n a rupee was

ex c h an ge d for c opper coins, th e mo ney -c h anger se ldom ga ve 86 of th e

rec o gnise d H y d er ab ad p ic e for it, for, by a c areful ex am inat ion, it

would be found th at h e h ad inc luded several tokens of k ings wh o long

s inc e h ad c eased to re ign in th e De c c an . T h e se c oins were not

supposed to be legal tender, but the old square d u b s o f f o r m e r N i z a m s

had become so worn as to be almost unrecognisable, and thus the

money -c h angers h ad great opportuni t ies for d ispos ing of non-c urrent

coins. I t was an am us ing s ight to see the poor vi l lag er m inutely

ex a m ine eac h p iec e before c on c luding h is bargain, anc l h e h ad goo d

reason to do so, for the shop-keepers would not accept any money other

th an th e Nizam's , ex c ept at a h eavy d isc ount .

E v e n so late as in 1906 the variety of copper coins pi led up in

h eaps on ma rket c lay s in front of th e money -c h an gers was as tonish ing .

On ex aminat ion I h ave found spec imens of th e Path an k ings of Delh i ,

t h e B a h m a n i k i n g s o f th e D e c c a n , o f A u r a n z ^ b e , o f A k b a r , o f T i p u

of M y sor e , and c oins of var ious v i l lages , bes ides man y oth ers too


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Coin Collecting in the Dec-can.

num erous to men tion. M on ey f rom a ll parts o f India seem s to ha ve

bee n bro ug ht into the D ec ca n in gr ea t quanti ty , to have been

readi ly accepte d, and to ha ve rema ined in c ircu lat ion. S o man y

different d yna st ies ru led in the De cc an at various t imes, ev ery king o f

each dynasty proc la iming his access ion to the throne by issu ing money,

and so ma ny vi l lages and town s had their own currency , that any thin g

in the sha pe o f a co in must hav e been accepted . In som e parts o f the

D e c c a n t h e s h o p - k e e p e r s w o u l d r e c e i v e s q u a r e c o p p e r c o i n s o n ly , w h ic h

is the usual shape o f the Nizam's co ins , but in other parts both square

and round co ins would be accepted . In order that no obje ct ion s should

be ra ised on the gro un d of the shap e o f the co ins , I ha ve o f ten com e

across ma ny co ins which thoug h origin al ly round had bee n cut by the

a g e n t s of t h e m o n e y - c h a n g e r s . I o b t a i n e d i n c h a n g e a s p e c i m e n of o n e

o f t h e is s u es o f A l a - u d - d i n , A h m a d I I . a B a h m a n i k i n g o f t h e D e c c a n ,

A.D. 14 37 -1 45 7 , so c l ipped as to resem ble one o f the N iza m 's co ins .

T h e m o n e y o f t h e S u l t a n s o f M a l w a b e i n g s q u a r e w a s o c c a s io n a l ly

f o u n d a m o n g s t t h e N i z a m ' s d u b s .

From the foregoing remarks it wil l be seen that coin col lecting* in

O O t>

t h e D e c c a n is n o t a v e r y e x p e n s i v e o c c u p a t io n , e v e n i f t h e r a te o f

e x c h a n g e d e m a n d e d b y t h e m o n e y - c h a n g e r s is g i v e n , n a m e l y , 86 p i c e

to the Nizam 's rupee, abo ut one shi l l ing and two pen ce. W hi lst

stat ioned in the Deccan in 1906, I heard that the money-changers were

col lecting* the o ld curren cy o f the N iza m with a v ie w to sen din g the

c o in s t o H y d e r a b a d t o b e m e l t e d d o w n fo r t h e n e w c u r r e n c y ; a n d

thin king that mo re act iv e s teps than wa it ing to enla rge my co l lect ion

by what I rece ived in cha nge , should be taken, 1 pa id seve ra l v is i ts to

t h e b a z a a r s b e f or e t h e o ld co i n s d is a p p e a r e d . T h e m o n e y - c h a n g e r s ,

how eve r, susp ect in g that I wan ted the co ins for a co l lect ion and not for

pur pos es of sma ll chan ge, at onc e put up their rates. I wa s at f irst

surprised, especial ly as I was told that no other coin col lector had resided

in that canto nm ent before , and ha vin g been chea ted for mo nths to the

e x t e n t o f t en p i c e p e r r u p e e i n c h a n g e r e q u i r e d f or h o u s e h o l d e x p e n s e s ,

I pa id no further v is i ts to them, but adop ted anoth er plan. I g av e a

few e le m enta ry lessons in co in read ing to a ve ry inte l l igent and sm art

M uss alm an, ancl sent him to al l the vi l la ge s an d tow ns in the distr ict


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A l e r t M one y -Chan ger s.

267

with instructions as to wha t he wa s to purcha se. T h e result was better

than I exp ecte d, as he was ab le to purc hase cop per coins at the rate of

96 to the N iza m 's rupee, ancl ma de an arra nge m en t with the peo ple from

wh o m h e b oug h t th em to re turn th ose wh ic h h e found h e d id not require

after reac h ing h om e. T h e only c opper c oins wh ic h th e v i l lage m oney -

changers refused to let him have at this rate, were the copper issues of

A kb ar , anc l no wonder , c ons id er ing th e ir weigh t . T h e s i lver c oins h e

p u r c h a s e d b y w e i g h t ,

1

but he was not long in f inding out that it was a

m ista ke to select one or two cop per piece s out of a hea p and then to

try and barg ain for th em, for h e rare ly suc c eed ed. I f h e wanted to

purc h ase ev en a few out of a bag-fu l l, h e found i t c ons iderably c h eap er

to buy th e lot. T h is of c ourse was wh en h e h ad bec om e wel l know n

in th e v i l lage s and th e rate of c opper coins h ad c onsequent ly c om men c ed

to rise.

Having oc c as ion to v is i t th e anc ient c i ty of Daulatabad wh ere h e

had lately bee n collec t ing, I tho ugh t I wou ld m ak e a few enqu iries in

the bazaars, but was told tha t an eccen tric M ussa lm an on a bicycle ,

wh ic h was h is usual mode of trave l l ing , h ad ex am ined al l th e mo ney in

th e v i l lag e , and taken al l aw ay with h im th at h e wan ted. A t a later

date he paid another vis it to the place, but returned very dejected

say ing th at som e sah ib , m ean ing my sel f, h ad been m akin g enquir ies

th ere abou t th e c oins of Mu h am ma d Bin Tu gh l aq , ancl th at in

con seq uen ce, the prices had gon e up so considera bly , that he was

un able to do an y business. Afte r this exp erien ce I made no further

inqu iries for coin s in oth er pla ces I visited, but left it entir ely to him,

c on tent ing my se l f wi th arra ngin g h is tours on th e map, and asc ertaining

the anc ient vi l lag es w here he would be most l ikely to find what I

requ ired. T h us , the acquisit ion of coins was a ver y easy ma tter for

me, and I was saved th e anno y anc e of barg aining wi th nat ives , wh o

inv aria bly ask con sidera bly mo re than the real value, and I had the

pleasure of spen din g ma ny h ours dur ing th e long h ot I ndian c lay

ex amining h is c o l lec t ions , ident i fy ing , and c ataloguing th em.

1

When forming a collection of the coins of M ysore in 1890 I often found the

villagers in remote places in M ysore perfectly willing to sell their copper coins by weight,

wh ich, it need scarcely b e said, was a great saving of time and trouble.


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268

Coin Collecting in the Deccan.

A t the same t ime he was most usefu l in acq uir in g information as

to wh at the nat iv es kn ew abou t the loca l co ins . A s a gen era l ru le the

m o n e y - c h a n g e r s k n e w a b s o l u t e l y n o t h i n g a b o u t m a n y t h a t u n ti l q u i t e

recen t ly had been in c ircu lat ion ; but occasion al ly one o f them would be

a b l e t o g i v e t h e n a m e o f t h e t o w n o r v i l l a g e w h e r e t h e y h a d b e e n

c o in e d , o r w h e r e t h e y w e r e m o r e f r e q u e n t l y m e t w i t h . T h e n a m e o f

the perso n who had issued them ancl eve n the dates were unk now n to

them, and, in fact, to the mo re edu cated o f the nat ives . A gr ea t

n u m b e r o f c o i n s o b t a i n e d i n A u r u n g a b a d w e r e a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e M o g u l

E m p e r o r A u r a n g z i b , in w h o s e r e i g n , A u r u n g a b a d w a s t h e c a p it a l o f

t h e D e c c a n . A b o u t e i g h t m i l e s fr om A u r u n g a b a d is t h e a n c ie n t c i t y

o f D a u l a t a b a d , a n d s i x m i l e s f u r t h e r o n a r e t h e f a m o u s c a v e s o f E l l o r a ,

a n d fr om t h e v i l la g e s a r o u n d t h e s e p la c e s m a n y s p e c i m e n s w e r e

o b t a i n e d . D a u l a t a b a d w a s a v e r y w e a l t h y c i t y i n a n c i e n t d a y s , fo r

w h e n ' A l a u - 'd ' - d in , a f t e r w a r d s E m p e r o r o f D e l h i , c a p t u r e d it in t h e

yea r 1293 and the c i tadel s ti ll ho ld ing out , he was induc ed to ra ise the

sieg e o f the la t ter on rec eiv ing th e incred ible ransom of 15 ,000 lbs . o f

pure gold , 175 lbs. of pearls, 50 lbs. of diam ond s, and 25,000 lbs. of

s i lv e r . T h e c o i n s o f ' A l a u - ' d ' - d i n e v e n n o w a r e v e r y p le n ti fu l , a l s o

t h o s e o f M u h a m m a d B i n T u g h l a k , w h o , i n A.D . 13 3 8 , r e m o v e d t h e

inhab itants o f D elh i to Dau latabac l . T h e la t ter p lace has bee n sa id to

be the sam e as the ancient Ta ga ra , and " the re mu st ha ve be en a vast

p o p u l a t i o n in t h i s r e g i o n a t t h e t i m e t h e E l l o r a c a v e s w e r e e x c a v a t e d ,

fo r t h e s e w o r k s c o u ld h a v e b e e n f in i sh e d o n l y b y m u l t i t u d e s g r e a t a s

t h o s e t h a t e r e c t e d t h e P y r a m i d s . H o w e v e r , i t is n o w t h o u g h t t h a t

T a g a r a w a s b u i lt o n t h e p l a t e a u o f h i ll s t o t h e n o r t h o f D a u l a t a b a d , a n d

t h a t th i s i s o la t e d h il l w a s m e r e l y a d e f e n c e o f t h e c i ty . E x t e n s i v e r u i n s

ha ve been disc ove red on the sa id plateau , bu t it i s pos s ible that

i n t e r e s t i n g d i s c o v e r i e s m i g h t b e m a d e t h e r e if a n y o n e w o u l d g o w i t h t e n t s

ancl a suff ic ient s taf f to exa m ine th e gro un d." I quo te this extr act f rom

M u r r a y s H a nd book t o M a d r a s

, 18 7 9 , b e c a u s e I p u r c h a s e d m a n y c o i n s

o f A l a - u d - d i n a nd M u h a m m a d B i n T u g h l a k f ro m r y o t s w h o h a d fo un d

them on this particular site.

B e i n g m u c h p u z z l e d b y m a n y o f t h e s i l v e r c o i n s , w h i c h w e r e o n c e

curren t in the A ur un ga ba d distr ic t, and are now occas ional ly found in


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Co in s o f A u r u n g a ba d .

2 6 9

the mo ney-bags of the shroffs, and being unable to ge t any reliable

information from the inhab itants of that place, I referred to the

following note in the

Ga zet t eer o f A u r u n g a ba d ,

1884, which I quote for

the benefit of anyone who may be interested in this particular currency,

althou gh it did not give m e much assistance in identifying m y

specimens :—

" T h e si lver coins formerly current in the district were the Siri

Sicca, Zar ip athk a, Belap ur i , Govin d Bakshi , Zul fikar i, Chan dor Sicca ,

Pipaln er i , Va ph iga o, an d Pistan Shahi . T he Si r i Sicca was the co in of

the Hin d u raj ahs prev ious to the M ahom edan con quest , an d the

Za r ipat hka was curren t at the t ime of the Peshwas. T he Govin d

Bak shi , Zulf ikari , and Pistan Sha hi derived their names from the persons

who in troduced them ; an d the Pipaln er i , Be lapur i , Va phig ao, an d

Ch an d or S icca f rom the town s in which they were co in ed. Th e Govin d

Ba ksh i had an im pression of a flower on one side, the Pipalneri , the leaf

of the pipal tree, the Belapuri , the face of the sun, the Pistan Sha hi a

scimitar, ancl the Zulf ikari a poniard. T he value of the Ch and or coin

com pared wi th each of the P ipaln er i, Be lapur i , ancl Vaph igao , was

Rs. 100 to Rs. 101 ; and with the Hall i Sicca currency Rs. 100 to Rs. 105

or Rs. 106. T h e Gov ind B aksh i was equal in value to the Cha lni or Lo

the Pistan Shahi , and the Zulf ikari to the Hall i Sicca.

" T h e coppe r coins that prevai led were the seorai , jam odi, dh abbu ,

and siahi . T h e seorai-pice weighed 11 h mash as = 172 J grs. troy, and

1 6 g a u d a s o f th e m , viz. 64, were given in ex ch an ge for a chand or rupee.

T he j amo di , or s iahi-pices , were e xch an g ed at the rate o f 14 gaud as,

viz. 56, for a Su rti or British rupee. T he dhab bu weighed 18 m ashas

= 270 grain s troy , an d was exch an g ed at 8 g a u d a s , viz. 32, for a C han dor

rupee. T h e siahi ancl dha bbu are stil l (1885) spa ringly current, the

former pass ing off for an a lamg iri-pice, and the latter for two of the

same.

" T h e gold co in s con sist o f the Akb ar i , B i j apur i , an d In dore gold

mohurs, valued respectively at 22, 23, 15 or 16 Halli Sicca rupees."

T h e f o l l o w i n g - remarks on the coinage o f Aurungabad are made on

o 0 0

p. 735 of the

G a zet t eer o f A u r u n g a b a d :—

" Gold mohurs are very scarce (1847-185 0), an d when wan ted, have

to be purchased at from Rs. 19 to 21 ; there is a mint, but no m on ey

has been coined for a long p eriod, ex cep tin g a few half an d quarter

rupees on occasion s of festivals ; the rupees in general curren cy are the

Chu ln ee , C han dore , an cl M oon kh ee (B om ba y) ; the value of these i s


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2 7 0

Coin Collecting- in the Deccan.

o

alw ays f luctuating, the present rate of ex ch an ge b eing 15 gau das to the

Chuln ee, 17 I to the Cha ndo re, and 17J to the M oon khe e rupee. T h e

copp er coins are of two descr ipt ions , a smal ler p ice ca l led the a lam ghir i

and a larger ca l led the dha bbu ; a t the present rate of ex ch an ge ,

60 smal ler or 30 larger p ice equal the Ch uln ee rupee. Cow ries are

valued at the rate of 1350 gau das to a rupee, and in purch as ing them

in the bazaar , a prof it is ma de by the m one y-ch ang er of 6 cowries on

e v e r y p i c e -w o r t h . I n f or m e r d a y s t h e m o n e y r e v e n u e o f th e c o u n t r y

was paid in tukk uhs or copp er coins , wi th m an y shel ls and l i tt le gold .

I n e x c h a n g i n g m o n e y , h a l f a p ic e is c h a r g e d o n e a c h r u p e e . "

T H E C O I N S O F T H E N I Z A M O F T H E D E C C A N .

F i g . 1 . — T h e H a l l i S i c c a R u p e e o f t h e 9 t h N i z a m , M i r M a h b u b A l i K h a n .

W eig ht 173 J gra ins . S ir Sa lar Jung introduced this rupee in the ear ly

'fifties.

Obverse.-

i L j

Reverse.-

r

5

(JMJJ.S>-

Z

AA -̂

J

J U

" C u r r e n t c o i n o f A s o p h J a h N i z a m

ul Mulk Bahadur 1286" [A.D. 1869].

Ini t ia l M of the Niza m.

" S t r u c k a t H y d e r a b a d , o f h a p p y

>- found ation, in the first ye ar of his

auspicious reign."

N i z a m - u l - M u l k m e a n s " R e g u l a t o r o f t h e C o u n t r y . " A n o t h e r

t it le o f t he r e ig n i n g a u th o r it y in H y d e r a b a d is A S O P H J A H — o f th e

r a n k o f A s o p h , s u p p o s e d t o h a v e b e e n o n e o f t h e m i n i st e rs o f S o l o m o n ,

t h e H e b r e w m o n a r c h ; a n d t h e g o v e r n m e n t o f H y d e r a b a d i s, in c o n s e -

quence, f requent ly ca l led the Aso phe ea State . A l l the Niza m 's sons have

t h e w o r d J A H a p p e n d e d t o t h e n a m e s g i v e n t h e m . Ev e r y t it le ,

howev er , bestowed up on previous Niza m s is assumed by his successor .

U n t i l t h e d e s t ru c t io n o f t h e p h a n t o m c o u r t o f D e l h i in 1 8 5 t h e N i z a m

adm it ted that he adm inis tered his gov ern me nt as the dele gate of the

Em pero r . Coins were s t ruck in the Em per or 's name. In the sea l he

c a l le d h i m s e l f " t h e s e r v a n t o f t h e Em p e r o r . " D u r i n g t h e e x i s t e n c e o f

the De lhi dynasty , the Niz am 's off ic ia l des ignat ion was " Soo beh dar of


9/30

L O N D O N S T E R E O S C O P I C C O .

C O I N S F R O M T H E D E C C A N .

P . I .


10/30


11/30

C o i n s o f t h e N i z a m o f t h e D e c c a n .

2 7 1

t h e D e c c a n , " i.e., g o v e r n o r .

1

T h e f ull na me of the p re se nt Niza m is

M i r M a h b u b ' A l i k h a n B a h a d u r F a t h J a n g [" v i c to r in b a t t l e " ] N i z a m

u d 'daulah [" the adminis trator of the State " ] Nizam ul M ulk.

Nos . 2 , 3 , 4 . — Sm al le r p ie ce s not he re i l lustrate d .

F i g . 5 - — I s t h e

t 7 ¥

part of the rupee.

F ig s . 6 , 7 , 8 .— Sh ow the s ize and shap e s of the cop p e r dubs , e ach con ta ining

a portio n of the inscription on Fi g. 1 ; a lm ost every coin differs from

the others in shape. M an y of these dubs were coined in brass.

F ig . 9 .— Is a cop p e r coin of the 8th Niza m, A f za lu d 'daulah [A .D. 185 7- 186 9]

D at e 1281 A.H. [A.D. 1864]. Th es e coins are now by no means co m m on

in the De ccan.

F ig . 10 .— Il lustra te s a cop p e r dub of the 5 th Niza m of the D e cca n,

N iz am Al i A sa f J ah, and dated A.H. 1206 [A.D. 1791]. T h e dubs o f

p re vious N iza m s we re ap p a re nt ly s imilar , d i ff er ing on ly in date ,

orname ntat ion, and le ngth of t i t le .

F i g . 1 1 . — T h e m a c h i n e - m a d e r u p ee i n t r o d u c ed i n 18 9 6 a n d e x t e n s i v e l y

f orge d. I t was withdr awn f rom circulat ion short ly a fter i ts introduct ion,

and the former r upees, Fig . I , were app aren tly coined again, for several

of the latter bea r the date A.H. 13 17 [A.D. 1900]. Insc riptio n on the

m ach ine rupee is the sam e as on Fig . 1 , with the exce ptio n of the dates.

N o . 1 2 . — H a l f - r u p e e n o t i l l u s t r a t e d .

F ig . 13 .— Th e han dsom e M ahb ubia rup e e introduce d into c irculat ion in

1904.

Obverse.—A re p re se ntat ion of the we l l-known C ha r M inar of

H y d e r a b a d .

Inscr iption abov e, betw een the minarets, ,

be low i m AJu:

Y e a r * i 3 2 i [A D. 1904]

right ^

left ^ U ,

Reverse.—-Value in the cen tre AJU . , 1 O n e Rup e e .

Round. j juujjU r"A IJmS^- j l d . j j ^ . t>buu

= Struc k at H y de ra bad , of hap p y foundat ion in the

38th year of his auspicious reign.

Nos . 14 , 15 .—Smal le r p ie ce s not i l lustrate d .

F i g . 1 6 . — T h e M a h b u b i a h al f a n na .

Obverse.—The N iza m 's s ign manual contain ing his t it les as on No. 13.

Reverse.—As on 13, bu t Aĵ ,»jJ = H al f an na.

1

History

of

the

Nizams.


12/30

272

C o i n Co l l e c t i n g - i n t h e D ec ca n .

O

F ig s . 17A , 17B, 17c , and 17 D .— Th e s e s i lve r coins are f rom the cabin e t o f

M r . R o b e r t I n g l i s , w h o b r o u g h t t o m y n o t i c e th e fa c t t h a t e a c h N i z a m p l a c e d h i s

init ial on his coin.

1 7 A . — A r u p e e o f N i z a m A f z a l - a d - d a u l a h , A .II. 1 2 7 3 - 1 2 8 6 =

A .D. 185 7-18 69 , date d 1275 . N ot e the in i t ia l 1 (A ) on the

obve rse .

1 7 B — A r u p e e o f N i z a m S i k a n d a r J a h , A .H . 1 2 1 8 - 1 2 4 4 = A .D . 1 8 0 3 -

1829, dat ed 123 1. N ot e the init ial ^ [S ] on the obv erse.

1 7 C . — A r u p e e o f N i z a m A f z a l - a d -d a u l a h .

1 7 D . — A q u a r te r r u p e e of N i z a m N a z i r - a d - d a u l a h , ' A .H . 1 2 4 4 -

1273 = A .D. 18 29 -18 5 7 , da te d J272. N ot e the in i t ia l ^ [N ]

on the obverse.

F i g . 1 8 . — A v e r y l a r g e n u m b e r o f t h e s e c o p p e r c o i n s w a s i n c i r c u l a ti o n i n

A u r u n g a b a d in 1 9 06 , a n d a l t h o u g h r e p e a t e d e n q u i r i es w e r e m a d e f r om

the nat ive s of the c i ty as to the mint- tow n, a l l we re u nan im ous in d e cla r in g

t h a t th e p ie c e s w e r e c o i n e d in D a u l a t a b a d , e i g h t m i l e s f ro m A u r u n g a b a d ,

a n d p o i n t e d t o t h e m i n t - m a r k i n c o n f i r m a t i o n o f t h e ir s t a t e m e n t ,

T h e re ve rse s of the coins ga ve l i t t le inf orma t ion on the sub je ct , unt i l

I s p e n t s e v e r al h o u r s o n o n e o c c a s i o n e x a m i n i n g h u n d r e d s o f t h e m ,

whe n I was re wa rde d for m y trouble by f inding two or thre e w ith the

nam e of th e min t- town a lmo st co m p le te as in F i g . 19 . I m e nt ion this

f ac t a s a n e x a m p l e o f h o w s o o n t h e p a r t i c u la r s o f t h e m i n t a g e s a r e

f orgot te n by the nat ive s , e ve n in the p lace of m inta ge i tse lf , the da te

o f c o i n a g e b e i n g A . H . 1 2 7 5 , i.e. A.D. 1858.

F i g . 1 9 . —

Obverse.—

' ' I

* i


13/30

Co i n s o f h e N i z a m

o f t h e

D ec ca n .

2 73

Th is co in was struck in the n ame of Bah adu r S hah II . ,

E m p e r o r o f D e l h i , A .D . 1 8 3 7 - 1 8 5 7 , a t A u r u n g a b a d : K h u j s t a

Bu n ya d, be in g the M uha mm edan t i t le o f th is town s ign i fy in g

" o f happy foun dat ion ."

Fig . 20 .— Th e hal f p iece o f Fig . 19 : n ot so com mo n as the former.

F i g s . 2 1 a n d 2 2 . — D u b s b e a r i n g t h e s a m e m i n t -m a r k s , p r o b a b l y A u r u n g a b a d ,

as Fig s. 18, 19, and 20, and p ortions of the N izam 's t i t les.

F i g . 2 3 . — V e r y c o m m o n c o in s in A u r u n g a b a d , w e i g h t a b o u t 18 2 g r a in s ,

i ssued in the n am e of Baha dur S hah, Em pero r o f Delhi , 1837 -185 7,

by Niza m Nazir -ad-d aulah, bear in g a star as min t-mark an d le t ter

[N ] the initial of the Niza m. T h e shroffs said they were coined in

Sa tara . I was un able to procure a good spe cimen with the nam e of the

m in t-t ow n; on ly a sma ll portion of ^--. li $Li> ,JUJ = Ba ha du r

: y ' V V'

Shah, Vic tor ious Emperor , appear in g on s in g le co in s .

Fig . 24 . '—As Fig . 23 but c l ipped in to the shape of the ordin ary Nizam 's dubs.

Fig . 25 .— Co pp er pice struck by Niza m N azir -ad-daulah in the n am e of

B a h a d u r S h a h , E m p e r o r o f D e l h i .

Obverse.—

i L i , tX^ô yc

^ , " Th e v ic tor ious Em pero r Mu hd. Bah adu r

r

j l i t l ^ j l f S h a h , 1 26 2 = A .D . 1 84 8." I n it ia l u [ N ] ,

J

Reverse.-

U ]

" Stru ck in the [?] year of his ausp icious

re ign at Kh usj t a Bun yad (? Au ran -

gabad) ."

[^Lu,.

1

Lum^VIL] ?

Fig . 26 .— Co pp er pice wi th the in it ia l & [N ] of Nazir -ad-daulah. A s

on Fig. 25 but date 1272 on obverse, and with a scimitar on reverse.

Fig . 27 .— Ru pe e i ssued in the n ame of Baha dur S hah II . , wi th star on obverse

and scimitar on reverse. Da te i25 6 = a.d. 1840, ancl fourth year of

that Emperor 's re ign .

Fig . 28 .— A rupee s imi lar to Fig . 27 , but issued in the n am e of the Em pero r

A k b a r II. , A.D. 1806 -1837 , and dated A.H. I242 =

A.D.

1847.

Fig . 29 .—The s i lver four-an n a-piece of Nizam Nazir -ad-daulah.

Fig . 30 .— A very com mon copper pice foun d in Au run gab ad, dates A.H. 1217

an d 1218, an d i ssued in the n ame of the Em pero r S hah A lam II . ,

A.D. 1759-1806, by Nizam Sikan dar Jah.

V O L . V . T


14/30

C o i n

Collecting;

i n

th e

D e c c a n .

o

" T h e v i ct o ri o u s E m p e r o r S h a h A l a m

[ 1218."

J

N o . 3 1 . — S m a l l e r . N o t i l lu s t r at e d .

Two-pronged scimitar on reverse.

F i g . 3 2 . — C o p p e r p i ce i ss u e d in t h e n a m e o f A k b a r I I ., Em p e r o r o f D e l h i ,

1806-183 7, by N izam Sik and ar Jab, and occu rr ing in large quan t i t ies in

Au run ga bad . D ate s from A.H. 1221 to 1237 inclus ive.

Obverse.—

I " Au spicio us coin of the v ictor ious

j E m p e r o r M u h d . A k b a r S h a h . "

J

" S tr u ck a t . . . in t he fo urth y e a r

of his auspic ious reign."

Although these coins occur in great abundance, i t i s a lmost

imposs ib le to procure one with the mint- tow n inscribed on it . On one

or two it app ears to be

= N u g g u r .

F i g s . 3 3, 3 4 . — C o m m o n . P r o b a b l y Bu d d h i s t c o in s , w e i g h t s v a r y i n g fr om

43 to 140 grs., with ele ph an t stan din g to righ t on the obverse.

F igs . 35, 36 .— An dh ra coins we ighin g 54^ and 69 grs. , com pose d of an a l lo y

of copper ca l led " pot in ."

Obverse : E l e p h a n t t o r i g h t .

Reverse: T h e " U j j a i n S y m b o l , "

cf

I.M.C., N o . 20, P L X X I I I .

T h e terr i tor ies occupied b y the An dh ra D yn as ty , 232 B.C. to

A.D. 236, e xte nd ed " across Ind ia a lon g the course of the God averi

from i ts mo uth on the shores of Ben gal to i ts source in the mo untains

of the W estern Ghats . Sou thw ard s their dom inion was carr ied into

the northern parts of My sore, and northwards , perhaps , as far as the

N a r b a d a . "

1

Obverse-

J L

r ~ r

M M A

• U i l i j b

o

Reverse.—

1

7.M.C., p. 208.


15/30




16/30


17/30

C o i n s

o f t h e

P a t h d n K i n g s

o f

D e l h i .

2 7 5

P A T H A N K I N G S O F D E L H I .

T h e copper coins of these kings are especially numerous, but as

the majority have been figured in Thom as's

Ch r o n i c l es o f t h e P a t h d n

K i n g s o f

D e l h i or the British Mu seum 's

Ca t a l o g ues ,

it will be sufficient

if I mention the names of the k ings whose coins are most frequently

found, viz., those of Shams-ud-din Altamsch, A.D. 1210-1235, Muizz-

ud-din Bahrain Shah, 1239-41, Ala-ud-din Mas'aud Shah, 1241-46,

Nasir-ud-din Mahrnud Shah, 1246-65, Ghias-ud-din Balban, 1265-87,

Muizz-ud-din Kaikubad, 1287-90, Jalal-ud-din Firoz Shah II., 1290-95,

Ala-ud-din M uhammad Shah, 12 95 -13 15 — ve ry numerous, Kutb-ud-

din M ubarak Shah, 1316-20 , Ghias-ud-din T ug hla k Shah, 1320-25,

Muham mad Bin Tug hlak , 132 4-5 1— esp ecia lly plentiful, there being"

over twenty varieties, and the coins are gene rally in a very go od state

of preserva tion. After this king the money of his successors is rare in

the Deccan.

Fig- 37- —P rob ably an issue of Nasi r -ad-din M ahm ud I ., Sul tan of Delhi ,

A . H . 6 4 4 - 6 6 4 = A . D . 1246-1265, as this coin agrees with the ty pes of his

successors 67/iyas-ad-din, Mu'izz-ad-din and Jelal-ad-din.

Obverse.—

> ;

jJI

.

LoJl

IS "

•• >

Reverse.—

\\\

u

lkLJ|

F i g . 3 8 . — ' A l a - a d - d in , A.H . 6 9 5 - 7 1 5 = A.D. 1 2 9 5 - 1 3 1 5 .

Obverse.— ,jJ| . 1.0 I jJJb

Reverse.— ^ Jj

u

\ULJl

Cf I.M.C., 239-

Fig . 39 .—-Copper co in o f 'A la- ad -d in . W eight , 119 grs . A s imi lar co in is

f igured by Thomas as occurring in si lver.

Obverse.— ^ \}\

j L O J J I u

I L I A ^ . C .A

u

l k L J

Reverse.— J\j]\

c-JlJl = "R ig h t han d of the Khal i fat ."

o - / J-

T 2


18/30

2

7

6


Margin.—

(?) cU-- . . . . ij^sss.r ajjv,

F i g . 4 0. —Co ppe r co i n o f A l a- ad- di n .

Obverse.— ^IkUt

LjJJJI 5U Ji^ HI

Reverse.— JiLtM , j-

JL> jdiji

Fi g . 4 2 . — M uh a m m ad Bi n T ug h l ak , A.D. 1 3 24 - 1 3 5 1 . Spe c i m e n s o f th is

in si lver and in copper were obtained in Daulatabad.

Obverse.—

U

I L L J I

jo^iJt A-^Jl

aJw a Li ^jdju

.J jj

Reverse.-

c - J

it) Ujk-s

fi iX+̂ j-t i

1

B.M.C., No. 268 (Ar\ fJf.C., 309 (.An).


19/30

Co i n s o j t h e M o g u l E m p e r o r s .

2 77

F i g . 4 3 . — C o p p e r c oi n o f M u h a m m a d B i n T u g h l a k .

Obverse.—

Reverse.—

J J U I

P r o b a b l y B.M.C., 2 8 1 , I.M.C., 3 3 9 .

I may mention that on one occasion I obtained more than twen ty

specimens of T h om a s , No. 196, described by that author as " very rare,"

four of

T h om a s

, No, 204, described as "unique," and about twenty of

his Nos. 205 and 206, described as "rare"—-all in the vicinity of

Daulatabad.

T h e most numerous copper coins of the Mo gul emperors occur-

ring in the De ccan are the dams of Akb ar, A.D. 1556-160 5, those

struck in the U rd u -i -Z a fa r Quarin or "victorious cam p" being

frequently in eviden ce. T w o or three varieties of this mint are found,

the comm on date b ein g A.H. 1000, A.D. 1593. A kb ar 's clams of Lah ore,

M alpur, Do gam , D elhi, Ch aitaur, Illahabas (Allahabad), Narn ol and

Gob indpu r are occasionally met with. T he silver coins of Ak ba r and

of Sh ah Jahan, coins of the latter bearing the name of the mint of

Da ulatab ad, frequently occur, but the most numerous are those of

Aurang-zib, A.D. 1658-1707, minted in Aurungabad, Golconda, Bijapur

ancl Sura t. T h e half rupees of these three emperors are much scarcer

than the rupees.

Fig . 44 .— Co pp er dam of Ak ba r . W eight , 306 to 310 grs .

M O G U L E M P E R O R S O F I N D I A .

Obverse.—

Reve?-se.—

a Falus struck at the victorious camp in the 40th Ilahi year."


20/30

2


fig. 45-—

Obverse.—

Reverse.—

is-'-r

" Falus s truck at the v ictorious camp, 1 0 0 0 " ( A . M . ) .

Fi g . 4 6 . — V e r y co m m o n co ppe r co in o f A ura n g z i b . A v e ra g e we i g h t , 207 g rs.

Obverse.—

Reverse.—

• • • • \~t , . J-^.-c

" S t r u c k a t M a c h l i p a t a m = Mas ul i patam ) i n th e 4 5 th ye ar o f h i s

auspicious reign, 1117" ( A . M . ) .

T h e c o i n s in m y c o l l e c t io n c o m m e n c e w i t h t h e d a t e

A .I -I . T I I O ,

a n d c o n t i n u e t o t h e y e a r 1 1 9 7 , a f t er t h e d e a t h o f A u r a n g z i b .

T h o s e b e a r i n g d a t e s 1 1 1 0 t o 1 1 3 4 a r e t h e m o s t c o m m o n . T h e n e x t

d a t e s a r e 1 1 7 0 t o 1 1 7 9 , f o l l o w e d b y o n e s p e c i m e n d a t e d 1 1 9 7 .

S i m i l a r c o i n s w e i g h i n g 1 0 6 g r a i n s w e r e m i n t ed , w h i c h e v i d e n t l y

r e p r e s e n t h a l f t h e v a l u e o f t h a t f i g u r e d . D a t e s 1 1 1 5 a n cl A .II. 1 1 1 8 .

F i g . 4 7 . — Co pp e r co in o f A ura n g z i b . W e i g h t , 21 4 g rs .

m v j , L u

Obverse.— (j^) J , ^

Reverse.— (? J.^U)

(JJJ..

Narnol (?) mint.

F i g . 4 8 . — Co pp e r co in o f A u ran g z i b s truck a t Sh o l apur .

Obverse.-

Reverse.-

F i g . 4 9 . — F a l u s o f A u r a n g z i b s tr u ck a t S u r a t .

Obverse.— ^ . ^Li L_


21/30



P L

I I I


22/30


23/30

Coins of the Mogul Emperors. 279

F i g . 5 0 . — C o p p e r c o i n o f A u r a n g z i b s t r u ck a t S u r a t , o c c u r r i n g in l a r g e

n u m b e r s in t h e D e c c a n . A v e r a g e w e i g h t 2 1 0 g r s .

Obverse.— (?) rr lJ.Ix*

Reverse.— (?) MPJui ^

F i g . 5 1 . — C o p p e r c oi n o f A u r a n g z i b , p r o b a b l y s t r u ck a t H y d e r a b a d i n

A .H . 1 10 0 . A v e r a g e w e i g h t , 2 02 g r s . ; v e r y n u m e r o u s ; d a t e s 1 1 0 0 t o

1 1 1 7 i n m y c o l l e c t io n .

Obverse.—

Reverse— (?)

\

t••Ju.-

F i g . 5 2 .— A s No . 5 1 , b ut av e r a ge w e i ght , 101 gr s ., d ate 1103.

O bverse.— ^ ^ H

Reverse.— 11

F i g

s

- S3> 54> 5 5 -— Co p p e r c oi ns of A la m gi r I I . ,

A.D.

1 7 5 4 - 5 9 , s t r u c k a t

E l i c h p u r ( B e r a r ) . V e r y p l e nt i fu l in t h e D e c c a n . W e i g h t , 2 4 3 - 3 0 0 g r s .

O bverse.— ^ ^ ^ .C [JU ]

^ • ' i

R ev er se .— 1 , . , , ;

J.A.S.B., Ix xi , 1902. N o t f igured.

F i g . 5 6 . — C o p p e r co i n o f A l a m g i r , s t ru c k a t E l i c h p u r .

Obverse.— ^J^ ^

Reverse— ^ . - ^ L d t-r>> i^M'p

j.AS.B., Ix xi , 1902.

E i g . 5 7 -— C o p p e r c o i n o f J a h a n d a r S h a h , A.D. 1 7 1 2 - 1 3 , w e i g h i n g 1 93 g r s .,

d a t e d A.H. I I 2 4 = A.D. 1712 .

Obverse.—

J \ •

n r p \

Reverse.— ,

M

Ai

F i g . 5 8 .— A s No . 5 7 , b ut w e i gh t 2 13 gr s . and ^ - j U i n ad d i t i on on ob v e r se .

F i g . 5 9 . — C o p p e r c o in o f F a r r u k h S i y a r , A.D. 1 7 1 3 - 1 9 .

Obverse— I

Reverse.— . . .

'IVJUJ

• >

M i nt , D ar a l Sar oor Bur hanp or e (?)


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2 8

O


F i g . 6 0 . — C o p p e r c o in o f S h a h A l a m I I. ,

A.D.

1759-1806, bearing on obverse

the da te I220 = A D 1S05, and on reverse. W eig ht , 255 grs.

Rare.

F i g . 6 1 . — R ar e co ppe r co in o f Sh ah A l am I I ., date d I I 8 3 = A . D . 1769.

O b v e r s e ^

r

Reverse.— I i AP

Another specimen in the col lect ion bears the date 1191 .

F i g . 6 2 . — R a re co ppe r coi n o f Sh a h A l a m I I ., date d I I 9 5 = A . D . 1 7 8 1 .

Obverse.— | t • JU i li jU

1

Reverse.- fT

Fi g . 6 3 . — Co m m o n co ppe r co i n o f Sh ah A l am I I ., s t ruck a t Sh o l ap ur .

W eig ht varies from 188 to 204 grs.

Obverse.— JU, iLi ^L^

R everse.— (?) ^ ^ ^

Fig . 63A .—S evera l coins of this type, var yin g in weight from 213 to 108 grs. ,

were o btained in the De cca n, and m ay possibly have been issued by

t h e E m p e r o r A k b a r .

B A H M A N I K I N G S O F T H E D E C C A N .

T h e c o p p e r c o i n s o f t h e s e k i n g s o c c u r in g r e a t n u m b e r s i n t h e

D e c c a n , b u t a s t h e c o p p e r c o i n a g e h a s b e e n d e s c r i b e d b y S u r g e o n -

M a j o r C o d r i n g t o n in t h e J o u r n a l o f t h e B o m b a y B r a n c h o f h e A s i a t i c

S o c i e t y , 1 8 8 3 , i t w i l l b e s u f f ic i e n t t o n o t e t h e c o i n s w h i c h w e r e b r o u g h t

t o m e f r o m J a l n a a n d t o d e s c r i b e t h e v a r i e t i e s . I w a s a b l e t o p r o c u r e

c o i n s o f t w e l v e o f t h e e i g h t e e n B a h m a n i k i n g s . T h e s i l v e r c o i n s a r e

e x t r e m e l y r a r e .

is t k ing. Ala -ud -din H asan Sha h G an gu Bah m an, A.D. 1347-57.-—-

7 copper coins. Numismatic Chronicle, 1898, p. 263, Pla te

X V I I , N o . 4 .

2nd k i n g . Mu h am m a d Sh a h Bah m a n G h az i , A .D. 1 3 5 7 - 7 4 . —

6 copper coins, 3 varieties, Numismatic Chronicle, p. 264, Plate

X V I I , N o s . 6 an d 7 , an d F i g . 64 .


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Co i n s o f h e B a h m a n i K i n g s o f t h e D ec ca n ,

281

4 t h k i ng . D a u d S h a h , A .D . 1 3 7 7 - 7 8 . —

1 specimen in copper, Codrington, No. 1.

5th k in g . M ah m ud Shan bin Ala- 'ad-din Hasan , A.D. 1378 -96 .—

20 copper coins, Numismatic Chronicle, 1898, p. 265, Plate

X V I I , F i g . 1 1 . '

8th k in g . Fi roz Shah, A.D. 13 97 -1 42 2.—

1 si lver coin weig hing 164^ grs. , 27 copper coins, ave rage we ight

79 grs. In addition to the name of the kin g on the obverse,

several have dist in ct traces o f = "s tru ck

a t A h s a n a b a d , y e a r . . " Codrington, N o. 2 .

9 t h k i n g . A h m a d S h a h , A .D . 1 4 2 2 - 3 5 . —

2 spec imen s, Codrington, No. 3 .

1 7 » » . >, 4 -

3 » 5

i o t h k i n g. A l a - a d - d i n A h m a d I I , A .D. 1 4 3 5 - 5 7 . —

1 spec imen , Codrington, N o . 7 .

17 spe cim ens „ „ 8.

10 „ „ „ 9 .

21 „ „ „ 10.

10 „ „ „ 11.

n t h k i ng . H u m a y a n S h a h , A .D . 1 4 5 7 - 6 1 . —

10 spec imen s Codrington, No. 12, who gives 3 sizes, weighing

246, 165 and 122 grs. Fo ur specim ens of another size,

weighing 79 grs. , were obtained.

13th k in g . M uha mm ad Shah, A.D. 1463 -82 .—

35 spec imen s Codrington, No. 13, and Fig. 66.

14th k in g . M ahm ud Sha h II ., A .D. 14 82 -15 18 .—

15 specimens, 4 sizes, Codrington, No . 14.

9 » 3 „ „ 15 -

15th k in g . W al iu ' llah Sha h, A.D. 152 2-2 5.—

3 specimens.

18th k in g . Ka l ima l lah Sha h, A.D. 152 5.—

27 specimens, Codrington, No. 16, who gives 2 sizes, weig hing

255 an d 170 grs. T w o other sizes were procured, weigh-

ing 125 and 81 grs.

T h e first king, Ala-ud-din Hasan Shah G ang u Bahman, was

appointed by the Delhi emperor to the command of the army in the

Deccan, and when the emperor's power became weaker, he proclaimed

himself independent in A.D. 1347, and struck coins in his own name.

" H e ruled the whole of the upp er basins of the Goda veri and

Kistn a r ivers , i.e., the greater part o f the Bom bay Presiden cy south of


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o

Sur a t , a n d m o s t o f t h e N i z a m ' s D o m i n i o n s . A t o n e p e r io d o f th e-

B a h m a n i dy n a s t y i t [ it s do m i n i o n ] e xt e n d e d be yo n d t h e bo un d s g i v e n

abo ve, but l ike a l l Ea stern k in gd om s i ts succe ss only pre ceded i ts ruin ..

T h e d yn as ty lasted for ne ar ly tw o centur ies , but f inally w as spl i t up

i n t o k i n g d o m s , w h i c h h a d t h e i r c a p i t a l s a t B i j a p ur , J un a i r , a n d

A h m a d n a g a r , E l i c h p u r , G o l c o n d a a n d B i d a r . T h e B a h m a n i d y n a s t y

is represented b y 18 k in gs."

1

F i g . 6 4 .— C o p p e r c oi n o f M uh a m m a d Sh a h B a h m a n G h a z i , A.D . 13 5 7— 7 4 .

Obverse.— .,,

Reverse.— JJ^Jl

J

y •

Vide Numismatic Chronicle, 1898, p. 264, N os . 2 and 3 not figured.

F i g . 6 5 . — A s F i g . 6 4, b u t o b v e r s e :

C- *•

F i g . 6 6 . — C o p p e r c o in of M u h a m m a d S h a h I I ., A .D . 1 4 6 3 -8 2 .

Obverse.— ^

IjiU »3 LtJb ,.

N o . 6 7 .— V a r i e t y , n o t i l lus t r a t e d .

Reverse.—•

Fig . 68 . '— A cop per coin at tr ibu ted to Na sir -ud -din Ism ai l , wh o wa s set up-

as k in g of the D ecc an in A.H. 748 = A.D. 1347, ancl on wh ose resig nat ion

H a s a n G a n g u b e c a m e k i n g a n d fo u n d er o f t h e B a h m a n i d y n a s t y .

Obverse.—

In dou ble c irc le ; par ts o f

Ijot^A f m arg ina l inscription .

Reverse.—

O- v » v

Coin Collecting in Northern India,

b y R o d g e r s .


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Co i n s o f t h e K i n g s o f G u j e r a t a n d S u l t a n s o f M a lw a . 283

T H E K I N G S O F G U J E R A T .

T h e coins of the following kings are frequently found in the

Deccan :—

3 rd k i n g . A h m a d S h a h I ., A .D. 1 4 1 1 - 4 2 . —

2 or 3 varieties in coppe r.

7 t h k i n g . M u h a m m a d S h a h , " B i g a r a , " A.D . 1 4 5 8 - 1 5 1 1 . —

2 varieties in copper.

8th k in g . Muzaf far Shah II . , A .D. 15 11 -2 5 .—

Common , on e var iety on ly in copper .

1 i th k in g . Bah adu r Shah, A.D. 1525-36.—-

On e var iety in copper .

13th k in g . M ahm ud Sh ah III . , B in Lat i f, A .D. 1537-53.

2 varieties in si lver, we igh ing 105 and 52 grs. respectively ,

copper coins numerous, one variety only.

Fig . 69 .— Co pp er co in of Ah m ad Shah I ., A .D. 1411 -42 , dated A.H. 835 =

A . D . 1 4 3 1 -

Obverse.—

a Li

Reverse.— .

A

r c

j

B.M.C., Guj erat , No. 413 , P late XI .

F i g . 7 0 . — O b v e r s e a s F i g . 6 9 .

Reverse.— lO^^L

B.M.C., Guj era t , No. 414 , P late X I.

T H E S U L T A N S O F M A L W A , E T C .

Coin s of the following sultans occur in copper :—•

4th sultan. M ah mu d Shah , A.D. 1435 -75.

5th sultan. Gh ias Sha h, A.D. 1482-1500 .

6th sultan. Na sir Sha h, A.D. 1500-10 .

7th sultan. M ah m ud Sh ah II ., A.D. 15 10 (also silver coins).

T h e Malwa issues of the Emperor Ak ba r of the same square

shape as those of the sultans are frequently met with ; also are those

of Shah Jahan.


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2 8 4

Coin Collecting- in the Deccan.

o

T h e c o i n s o f t h e s u l t a n s o f J a u n p u r a r e r a r e l y f o u n d i n t h e D e c c a n .

T h e c o p p e r c o i n s o f th e M a h r a t t a k i n g s o f S a t a r a , k n o w n a s t h e

C h a t r a p a t i , i.e., " L o r d o f t h e P a r a s o l , " p i c e , a r e t h e m o s t c o m m o n o f

a l l co i n s in t h e D e c c a n — e s p e c i a l l y t h e i s s u e s o f t h e g r e a t S i v a j i ,

A .D . 1 6 7 4 - 1 6 8 0 , w h o a s s u m e d t h e t i tl e o f " I v o h a t r i y a K u l a v a t a m s a

S r i R a j a S i v a C h h a t r a p a t i " in A.D . 1 6 7 4 . .

M I S C E L L A N E O U S D E C C A N C O I N S .

Figs . 71 and 72 are cop per coins v ar yin g in we igh t from 102 to 121 grs. ,

f r e que n t ly fo und in t h e v i l l a g e s r o un d D a ul a t a b a d, a n d s a i d to h a v e

been coined in To ka , a v i l lage s i tuated on the God aver i , ab ou t 26 mil es

fro m A u r u n g a b a d o n t he A h m a d n a g a r R o a d .

Obverse.—Battle-axe ancl da te 9 2 8 9 = 1 2 4 1 , A . D . 1 8 2 5 - 6 .

Reverse.— (?) ^ ^

Th e reverses of a l l these coins in m y col lect ion are di fferent , ye t none of

t h e m a p p e a r t o h a v e be e n s t a m p e d w i t h t h e n a m e o f a mi n t t o w n .

F i g . 7 3 . — T h e E l i c h p u r [ B e r a r ] h y e n a c o p p e r p i c e — v e r y p l e n t i f u l — w e i g h t

from 173 to 183 grs.

Obverse.— A h ye n a .

Reverse.— [ ^ . j ] ^ " S t ru c k a t E l ic h p ur ."

F i g . 7 4 . — A c o p p e r c oi n o f A b d ' a l l a Q u t b S h a h o f G o l c o n d a , A .D . 1 6 1 1 - 7 2 ,

struck at Hy de rab ad . Th es e coins occur in grea t num bers in the

D e c c a n , a n d v a r y in w e i g h t f ro m 9 4 t o 1 06 g r s . T h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e m

are dated A . H . I O 6 S = A . D . 1 6 5 7 , but som e occur with the date 1 0 9 5 =

A.D. 1683, pro ving tha t these coins were con tinu ed to be m inted after

t h a t r u le r's d e a t h. T h e Q u t b S h a h i d y n a s t y o f G o l c o n d a c o m m e n c e d

in A.D. 151 2, when the founder, a Tu rko m an chief w ho cam e to the

D e c c a n t o s e e k h is fo r tun e , be i n g ma de g o v e r n o r o f T e l i n g a n a , t h r e w

o ff h i s a l l e g i a n c e t o t h e B a ih ma n i fa mi l y dur i n g th e w e a k g o v e r n m e n t

o f M a h m u d S h a h , a nd a s s u m e d t he ti tl e o f K i n g o f G o l c o n d a .

Obverse.—

I

•

T A

aJuJb

Reverse.— L ^ L L J U O J W " St ruc k at the capital

H y d e r a b a d . "

f i g - 7 5 - — C o mmo n c o p p e r c o i n s i n t h e D e c c a n , but I w a s un a bl e t o a c qui r e

a n y i n fo r ma t io n a bo ut t h e p l a c e o f m i n t a g e o r n a m e o f t h e c h i e ft a in

who issued them, which appeal ' s to be

O J ^ J I

= I br a h i m.


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Miscellaneous Deccan Coins.

Fig . 76 .— Co m m on copp er coins , sa id to be i ssued by one of the v i l lages in

t h e D e c c a n .

Fig- 77 -— Co pp er coin occurr ing in great num bers : no informat ion avai lable

from nat ive sources .

N o . 7 8 . — A v a r i e t y , n o t i l l u s t r a t e d .

Fig- 79- — Co ppe r coin sa id to have been issued by one o f the v i l lages on the

b a n k s o f t h e G o d a v e r i ; s im i l ar r e p re s e n ta t io n s o f H a n u m a n a r e f ou n d

carved in stone on the bank s of that river. Mr. R. Ing lis called m y

at tent ion to a very s imi lar representat ion of Hanuman by Princeps , in

his U se fu l T a ble s, Calcut ta , 1834, Plate I I I , Symbol 119, who ascr ibed

i t to Ku kur atee , near Pun nah in Bun delkh und . His f igure, however ,

s lightly differs.

F igs . 80 to 8 3.— Co m m on coppe r coins , sa id to h ave been m inted at the

ancient town of Py ton (Put ton) , between the years A .D. 1823 and 1858.

Nos . 84 and 85 . — Co pp er coin s— occas ion al ly found in bra ss— an d sa id to have

been m inted in one of the Dec can vi l lages , nam e unknown. No t i l lustrated.

M an y othe r D ec ca n co ins in s ilver and copper were obta ined in

addit ion to those m ention ed ab ove, but as the li s t would far exce ed the

l imits o f the pre sent paper, I ha ve contented mys el f with referr ing to

t h o s e m o s t fr e q u e n t l y m e t w i t h

D ur in g the short t ime I co l lected co ins in the De ccan , I was a l so

able to procu re a fa ir ly re pres entat iv e co l lect ion o f co ins o f the fo llow-

i n g s t a t e s : — B h o p a l , J a o r a , B a r o d a , R u t la m , D h a r , G w a l i o r, In d o r e ,

B h u j , M e w a r , U j a i n , P a r t a b g a r h , M a r w a r , B i k a n ir , J a ip u r , B u n d i ,

A l w a r , B h a r t p u r , K u c h a w a n ; a ls o o f t h e S i k h s a n d o f t h e E a s t I n d i a

C o m p a n y . T h e m a j o r i t y o f t h em w e r e m i x e d w i th th e o rd i n a ry

H yd er ab ad dubs, but I th ink I hav e sa id suf ficient to show what an

exc el len t p lace the D ec ca n country is for anyo ne interested in the

fasc inat ing pursuit o f Indian numismatics and the records o f a byg on e

ag e. I did not m eet with m any co ins o f Sou ther n In dia in the Dec can ,

her e and there a s tra y M yso re co in would mak e i ts appearan ce, but

none o f the o ld dynast ies . Be ing chiefly interested in the co ins o f

So uth ern India , I d id not spare any efforts in the at temp t to procure

them, but without success .

I hav e to thank M r. Robe rt In^lis for h is k indness in ass is t ing me

o o

in the pre sen t pap er ancl for his sug ge stio ns as to the rea din g of the

inscript ions on se vera l o f the co ins .


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coin collecting in deccan 1908_bnj_5_12

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