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1 Paika - Muhammad bin Tughluq
| Issuer | Delhi Sultanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1325-1351 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 13 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field bearing a multi-line Arabic inscription in Naskh script, reading the name and title of the sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq, struck on a small irregular flan typical of hammered copper coinage of the Delhi Sultanate. The lettering is somewhat roughly executed, consistent with the low-denomination struck coinage of the period. The field is flat with no border or decorative elements, and the legends fill the entire face of the coin. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field bearing a multi-line Arabic inscription in Naskh script occupying the entire reverse face of the coin. The legend is arranged in horizontal registers across the flan, with the pious phrase referencing divine sufficiency. The strike is characteristic of the hammered technique common to Delhi Sultanate copper fractions, with slightly uneven distribution across the irregular flan. |
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| Additional information |
Muhammad bin Tughluq's reign produced some of the most controversial monetary experiments in medieval Indian history. His decision in the early 1330s to introduce token brass and copper currency — intended to substitute for silver tanka — collapsed catastrophically when the policy failed to prevent mass counterfeiting, forcing an embarrassing reversal and repurchase of the debased issues at the treasury's expense.
Whether this paika circulated before or after that crisis is the operative question for dating purposes within the reign.