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1 Mohur - Jahangir Cancer - Agra mint
| Issuer | Mughal Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1618-1624 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 10.88 g |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts a naturalistically rendered crab in high relief, occupying the majority of the field, with detailed claws, legs, and carapace clearly articulated. Behind the crab, a radiate sun rises with stylized triangular rays fanning outward in a bold, decorative arrangement. The coin is bordered by a continuous beaded or granulated rim encircling the entire design. The overall composition reflects the distinctive zodiacal imagery commissioned by Emperor Jahangir for his celebrated 'Zodiac' or 'Nur Afshan' series, with Cancer (the crab) representing the solar month during which the coin was struck. |
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| Mint | Agra |
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| Additional information |
Jahangir's zodiac mohurs represent one of the most deliberate departures from orthodox Islamic coinage in Mughal history. Struck across multiple mints between 1618 and 1624, the series was driven entirely by the emperor's personal obsession with astrology — each type corresponding to the solar month of issue, not a commemorative whim. The ulema objected strenuously to figural imagery on currency, and Jahangir, characteristically, ignored them.
The Agra mint was the most prolific producer of the zodiac series, though survival rates vary sharply by sign. Cancer pieces are among the more elusive types, as the solar month of Saratan fell during the monsoon season when mint activity historically slowed.