India’s Largest Gold Coin

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In the late 1980s the Indian Government was caught in a tizzy when it realised that a national treasure was being auctioned in Switzerland . The object in question was the largest known coin made of solid gold. Weighing 12 kgs, the mohar had been minted during the time of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Records showed that the Emperor had given this 1000 mohar coin to the Persian Ambassador Zamil Baig. But it took time to figure how this massive chunk of history - had landed in an auction house. The story of Jahangir’s Mohar made international headlines and it was ironic that the person who had put it up for sale was the bankrupt old feudatory of the Mughals the last Nizam of Hyderabad Mukkaram Jah. The Mughals were well known for their wealth, opulence and grandeur. The emeralds, diamonds, thrones and jewels in their court was unsurpassed anywhere in the world. But this opulence at their height came because of economic prosperity and the empire they built. It is not surprising then that minting gold coins of large denominations was commonplace at the time of Jahangir and Shah ...

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