Akbar, Dam. Mint: Ahmedabad, Month Mihr (Libra), KM#33.1.

[asm]

This is a Dam of Akbar and I think I can read Ahmedabad. Please help with the attribution of this 20.5g coin.

Amit

PS: IMAGE CHANGED AFTER OESHO'S COMMENTS BELOW.

[Oesho]

Reverse need to be rotated by 180 degrees.

[asm]

Dear Oesho,

Thank you for pointing out the error. I do not know what I was doing when I joined the images. Is any other detail visible on the coin?

Amit

[Figleaf]

When you live in Ahmedabad, this coin must have special significance. Do you have any idea where coins used to be struck in Ahmedabad?

Peter

[asm]

Yes, Peter. Coins of Ahmedabad in perticular and other mints in Gujarat State formed my initial collection till I increased my knowledge and scope of collection thanks to WoC.

The old mint building still exists and houses a girls school (I believe that it is the same building or the one next to it). It is still known as 'Tankshal' which is the gujarat for 'Mint'. And the area around it, which is a part of an larger area called Kalupur is known even today as "Kalupur Tankshal'. It is in the heart of the old city - a very very overcrowded and I have not had the fortune of visiting the place in the past 20 odd years. Ahmedabad is very famous for the Kite Flying Festival held on 14th Jan of each year and this area is the biggest market for the Kites and Thread but again, I have no intention of crawling through the crowd.

Amit

[Oesho]

Dear Amit, the coin shows on the obverse: Falus Ahmadabad and on the reverse: Mihr (yr.) Ilahi.
The coin is a Dam, struck at Ahmadabad in the month Mihr (= zodiac sign Libra). The Ilahi year is not readable as it is almost completely of the flan. That's the problem with most coin of this series, it either shows the Ilahi month, or the Ilahi year, but seldom both clearly readable.

Living in Ahmadabad and being aware that the building of old mint is still in existence, you should try to get some pictures of it and put them on one of the pages of WoC. These old buildings are disappearing very quickly and after it we all regret that we haven't put it on record, when it was still there. So please Amit, do us favour and get after 20 years to the most crowded part of Ahmadabad and show us were so many coins in our collections are coming from. Thanks in advance.

[Rangnath]

You certanily have my interest in seeing it!
richie

[Figleaf]

I third the motion.

Peter

[asm]

And so the majority wins. I will make an effort to reach the place as soon as the temperatures cool down a bit (current temperatures are 43 C and above). Let me see if I can also post pictures of some of the other interesting monuments in Ahmedabad.

Amit

[asm]

Dear Oesho,
Is this a Dam type 33.1 described in Numismaster as "Obv: Line of dots across center & Rev:  Line of dots across center" or 32.2. Both coins are without images. I have a few Dams of Ahmedabad but they are very different from the one posted above. Here is another one of the type that I refer to but looks different from the one that I have posted above which was attributed as KM#29.1

Amit

[Oesho]

Basicly there are two types of Dams struck during the reign of Akbar, viz.: the pre-Ilahi type (having the legend Zarb Falus (mint)/ Sanah (Date in digits and date written out) and the Ilahi type. The Ilahi type has the legend Zarb Falus (mint) / (Month & year) Ilahi.
The pre-Ilahi type is listed in KM as type 28 & 29. The Ilahi type is listed as type 32 & 33.
On some of the pre-Ilahi type Dams of Ahmadabad, the mint bears the epithet Dar al-Sultanat. For a good overview of the copper coins of Ahmadabad during Akbar's reign see the page on ZENO.

[asm]

Thank you Oesho for the information. Here, here and hereI found very similar coins and hence have attributed this coin as KM#33.1

Amit