1 Falus

Balkh — ancient Bactra, once capital of Bactria and a major node on the Silk Road — had by the mid-nineteenth century been reduced to a provincial backwater under Afghan Barakzai control, its coinage reflecting that diminished status. Local copper fulus of this period circulated within tight regional boundaries, their acceptance rarely extending beyond the immediate bazaar economy. The Kabul-based Amir exercised nominal authority over Balkh's mint, but production was inconsistent and supervision loose, which accounts for the considerable variation in weight and fabric seen across this type.