Akbar copper of Surat mint- New Discovery!

[abhinumis]

Hi,
One of my most important discoveries!
Akbar 1/2 falus of 96 rati standard of Gujarat sultan. Surat mint. 98xAH. 5.2 grams
This is the first coin reported of the Surat mint during Akbar's reign! Published in JONS 237. Jan Lingen
To read more https://www.academia.edu/43739577/Akbar_copper_coin_of_Surat_mint

[gokhale]

Congratulations sir. Great .

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[Figleaf]

Very good write-up in JONS. It makes diplomatic sense to continue with the old standard coins for a while before imposing something new. Akbar's intervention in the Gujarat replaced a bunch of warring nobles with stability, where a rebellion was quickly put down. That would have been a blessing for the population, particular the merchants. It is easy to imagine how they would have preferred a powerful but diplomatic warrior over a controversial successor or an adventurer.

Peter

[abhinumis]

Thanks a lot Peter. It was a risk sticking my neck out to write that 5.2 grams is a half falus of Gujarat local standard rather than quarter dam which is also very near to this weight. The manuscript was submitted almost 6 months back, but recently there has been reports that a falus weighing 11.4 grams have been found which proves I was right that it is Gujarat local standard rather than mughal dam standard.

[Figleaf]

You are one of a small group of serious collectors of Mughal coppers. I am getting the impression that is a wise choice, as so much remains to be discovered in this field. The struggle of traditional coins against the denominations introduced by the Mughals for all their lands seems to be one of these underreported stories.

In addition, I am very impressed by the maintenance of the weight standard of the silver rupee during centuries. To me, that almost mechanically means that the copper coins are variable in weight. I would say that it is for experts like you to plough through these weight differences, sort out the denominations behind them and end up with something that will tell you an untold story of price levels in India. Have fun!

Peter