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1/2 Dam - Akbar Dogaon mint
| Issuer | Mughal Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1556-1605 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 17 mm |
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| Obverse description | Broad, irregularly shaped hammered copper flan bearing bold Arabic calligraphic inscription in the field, characteristic of Akbar-period copper coinage. The legends are rendered in a cursive Naskh-style script, deeply struck but with the characteristic uneven surface typical of hand-struck Mughal dam coinage. The design fills the entire flan with no distinct border or decorative elements, consistent with the utilitarian nature of base-metal Mughal issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Irregularly shaped reverse flan displaying a multi-line Arabic inscription struck in a bold, flowing hand, reading the mint name Dogaon along with additional Mughal fiscal formulae. The strike is characteristically uneven with areas of weakness at the margins, reflecting the hand-hammered production technique common to Akbar-era copper coinage. The legends occupy the full field with no exergue, border, or ornamental devices, consistent with standard Mughal dam typology. |
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| Additional information |
Akbar's copper coinage was reorganized as part of a broader imperial metrological reform in the 1570s, largely driven by his finance minister Todar Mal's overhaul of the revenue and weights system. The dam and its fractions became the backbone of everyday trade across the subcontinent, while silver and gold served the administrative and merchant classes. Dogaon was among the secondary mints pressed into service to meet demand that the major imperial mints at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri could not satisfy alone.
Copper fractions from provincial Mughal mints tend to show considerable die wear and off-center strikes — a product of volume, not carelessness.