Akbar. Dam. Mint: Akbarpur. AH 981.

[asm]

The coin looks to be an issue of Akbarpur and there is no place for Tanda. However the date is pretty badly engraved. Please help read the date and also help confirm the attribution.



Amit

[saro]

Akbarpur (without Tanda) well exists
The date is "nuhsad ..hashtad" + a part of "eik" : 981

[asm]

Thanks Saro and Akona.

Amit

[abhinumis]

Akbarpur and Akbarpur tanda are two separate mints. There is only one type in Akbarpur tanda dams.. But Akbarpur dams comes in 3 variety. I've recently acquired the most scarcest variety and would upload soon

[abhinumis]

Here is another variety with Akbarpur written straight

[abhinumis]

The last and the scarcest type of Akbarpur is this one. Note the trilobed structure as mint mark. Help me with the date on this. 981 Is it??

[abhinumis]

This is my copy of your coin.. The third and last variety in Akbarpur

[abhinumis]

All Akbarpurs howmuch ever they look different calligraphywise are found with a single date 981 A.H.. Interesting isn't it!!!!

[asm]

Abhishek, to my untrained eye, all 3 look very similar...........and all seem to be dated 981. The difference seems to be the mint mark and to some extent the position of the words which seem to have been struck from a little different part of the punch (as happens on hand struck coins).

Amit

[abhinumis]

Lots of differences amitji, yours akbarpur is a highly curvaceous one with our below akbar,, on the other types apart from the difference in mint mark,also the position of mintmark is very different.,,

[asm]

Abhishek,

1)

...... yours akbarpur is a highly curvaceous one with our below akbar,, .,,

2) 

.... on the other types apart from the difference in mint mark,also the position of mintmark is very different.,,

Would you call these different types? May be the different type of mint marks may classify as different sub-types at the most. If you see the Later Mughal Rupees or even those of some mints of the Great Mughals, these sort of differences are routinely encountered.

Amit

PS: I think, this brings us to the most crucial point of defining Types and sub types.   

[akona20]

Well . If the coin has the same words on it in the same order and there is a difference in calligraphy type then it is the same general type.

The style of calligraphy really makes no difference because the dies are hand cut. this is the general rule.

If there is a change of word order then a subtype exists.

Mint mark changes given all other items remain the same produce a new sub sub type.

really the only way in looking at this is to take the mint as a whole and look at the key standard types for the ruler and work through.

There are times when a dramatic change in calligraphy will mean a sub sub type.

order of words and placement is, in general, quite well regulated.

[asm]

Thanks a ton Arthur. However, this is in stark contrast to what Abhishek has mentioned about why he classified the 3 coins as different types.......... I think, this being not one of the main Akbar mints, the die cutters were less experienced.......also all 3 coins being of the same date also make me wonder why 3 types in one year and that too when these coins were issued for a very small period (I presume) as all the 4 coins above and the one on Zeno are of the same date and all look different.

Amit

[akona20]

Hmmmm more research needed here.

[asm]

I have another Akbarpur dam which was separated out of the lot as it showed some green spots. Will try to clean it and upload it in a day or two.

Amit