As noted by experts at the British Museum, the Mughal historian Muhammad Hashim Khafi Khan records that the emperor Jahangir (reigned 1605-28) gave orders in AH 1020 (AD 1611) for the issue of a new coin. This coin would not circulate , but rather would function as a commemorative medal, intended for presentation by the Shah to those he favored. The medallion would be struck in gold, and its weight would be that of one standard gold mohur (coin). On front side the coin would feature the royal portrait, while a lion surmounted by a sun would occupy the reverse side. The record states that this coin 'should be given to favorite Amirs or most devoted servants, and that they were to wear it respectfully on the sash of the turban or on the breast front as a life preserving amulet'.¹

The British Museum web site also provides a translation of the Arabic inscription on the coin. It reads: "A likeness of Jahangir Shah, son of Akbar Shah, in the year six of his reign." The date AH 1020, the Muslim calendar year corresponding to 1611, was struck on the reverse side.²

(1) From the British Museum web page dedicated to this object.

(2) Ibid.