mughalshit: Coin Minted by Jahangir India, Mughal, 1611 GoldThe subject of the obverse is Jahangir
mughalshit: Coin Minted by Jahangir India, Mughal, 1611 Gold The subject of the obverse is Jahangir himself, dressed richly, holding a wine cup in one hand, and a book in the other. In the left margin one can read, “portrait of Jahangir Shah (son of) Akbar Shah,” and in the right “regnal year six,” denoting the year in his reign in which it was manufactured. The reverse shows a lion, a sigil of the the Mughal Empire, at the foreground of a rising sun. Below, the calligraphy reads “hijra year 1020.” The David Museum has a some wonderful background information about the coins: “These portrait muhurs were not intended to be used as circulating coinage, but as souvenirs that were to be worn as badges of honour by his favourite amirs and boon companions to be worn either suspended from the neck or pinned to their turbans as life-preserving amulets. As well as being bestowed on court favourites they were also given by Jahangir to the English Ambassador Sir Thomas Roe and to a Frenchman, Austin de Bordeaux, who served in the Emperor’s court. While Jahangir enjoyed wine, he is known to have prayed regularly, and since he would not have wished to offend his Muslim subjects it is much more likely to have been the sort of book of verse that he enjoyed sharing with his companions.” This coin weighs 10.9 grams. -- source link
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