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8 Gani - Muhammad bin Tughluq
| Issuer | Delhi Sultanate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1329-1331 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Aniconographic field entirely occupied by a two-line Arabic legend in bold, raised Naskh script reading 'Muhammad bin Tughluq Shah', the sultan's regnal name and title. The lettering is deeply struck and fills the flan, with individual characters showing characteristic Tughlaq-period calligraphic style. The coin is struck on an irregular, roughly circular copper flan with a raised rim forming an uneven border around the inscribed field. The surface retains a dark patina with areas of green cuprite, typical of buried Delhi Sultanate copper coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse field bears a two-line Arabic and Persian legend in raised Naskh script, reading 'Adl Hasht Gani' (meaning 'Just Eight Gani'), denoting both the denomination and affirming the sultan's quality of justice. The bold, deeply cut lettering fills the flan in a manner consistent with other Tughlaq-period copper issues, with the word 'Adl' (justice) prominently placed in the upper register. A raised, irregular rim encircles the inscribed field, and scattered pellet ornaments are visible between the letterforms. The flan is irregular and slightly convex, with a warm brown copper surface patinated with areas of dark oxidation. |
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| Additional information |
Muhammad bin Tughluq's token currency experiment of 1329–1331 was one of the most audacious monetary failures in medieval history. Facing a treasury strained by ambitious military campaigns and an abortive attempt to relocate the capital to Daulatabad, the sultan issued copper and brass coins as forced equivalents to silver — commanding acceptance by royal decree without backing the tokens with reserve metal. Merchants, predictably, began minting their own. Counterfeiting became so widespread and so simple that the sultan was eventually forced to redeem the entire issue in silver, reportedly bankrupting the treasury in the process.