Loading...

Jahangir’s Sawai Rupee

2017-04-17 Mon

The word ‘Sawai’ means one and one-fourth, i.e., 1 1/4. Jahangir experimented with his coins, first, he increased the weight of his Rupee by 20%, which is slightly higher than the rupee standard, these coins are known as ‘Jahangiri’. Later he increased the weight of his coins further by 5% and brought it up to 25% these are known as ‘Sawai Rupee’.

‘Sawai Rupee’ was struck both in circular and square flan. It was struck in every month. Later Jahangir’s this experiment with the coins had not takers and his heavy coinage was again brought under normal rupee weight standard of 11.66 gram.

This Silver Sawai Rupee of ’Shahenshah-e- Ummoom’ couplet was minted at Lahore, weighs around 13.8g which is slightly higher than the rupee. This coin was struck in the Hijri year 1019 during the 5th year of his reign. It was struck in the month ‘Isfandarmuz’. The obverse of the coin reads as ‘Shahnshah-e-Ummoom shah Jahangir ibn Shah Akbar’ meaning ’the Emperor of the people Shah Jahangir son of Shah Akbar’ and reverse of the coin reads as ’Darab Isfandarmuz ein Sikka dar Lahore zad bar zar’.

This very rare Sawai Rupee was sold for INR 36,000 at Todywalla Auction.