MUGHAL: Jahangir, 1605-1628, AV sawai mohur (heavy mohur) (13.60g), Agra, AH1018 year 4, KM-185.1, with Khusru couplet, Persian inscription nur al-din shah jahangir ibn akbar badshah, regnal date to left // sikka zad dar shahr-e agra khusru-e giti panah, hijri date to lower left, much luster on both sides, an absolutely lovely design with excellent eye appeal, NGC graded MS61, RRR. A consummate lover of fine arts, Jahangir was known from his diary to dictate the designs and specifications of novel coinage (see the English translation by Rogers & Beveridge, London, 1909). Among them was the Nur-Jahani mohur, which weighed 20% more than the standard mohur and was ordered to replace the latter (p.11). In a later entry, he further alludes to the striking of mohurs with one and a quarter times the weight, or "sawai" in Persian, before finally returning to the original weight standard (p.197 & errata p.450). This distinct type, which was 25% heavier, thus came to be known as the sawai mohur. As with most types of gold among Jahangirs dazzling and prolific output, the sawai mohur was struck in limited quantities solely as a presentation issue for court officials and foreign dignitaries.
