Gold Mohur of Aurangzeb

The gold mohur was the principal high-value gold coin of the Mughal Empire, and issues of Aurangzeb Alamgir (reigned 1658-1707) are among the most frequently encountered. The example shown carries Persian inscriptions across both faces, with the emperor's titles on the obverse and the mint and regnal information on the reverse, including the mint name Multan.

Each mohur was struck by hand from a gold blank, so no two pieces are perfectly identical in centering or strike. The coins are inscriptional rather than pictorial: Mughal issues of this period avoid portraits and figural imagery, relying entirely on elegant Persian calligraphy arranged within circular or square borders.

Aurangzeb, who took the reign-title Alamgir ("World-Seizer"), was the sixth Mughal emperor and ruled one of the empire's largest territorial extents. His long reign produced coinage from dozens of active mints spread across the subcontinent, from Multan and Lahore in the northwest to the Deccan in the south.

Early in his reign Aurangzeb replaced the older kalima (Islamic declaration of faith) coin legends with couplets naming the emperor and his sovereignty, a change often linked to his religious policy of not placing sacred text on money that could be handled in unclean conditions. As a result his gold and silver typically bear a rhyming Persian verse plus the mint, regnal year, and the julus (accession) formula. Coins were dated by both Hijri year and the emperor's regnal year.

Look for a round gold coin covered edge to edge in Persian (Arabic-script) legend, with no portrait or figural design. The obverse gives Aurangzeb's name and titles, frequently including the word "Alamgir," while the reverse names the mint and the year of reign, here reading Multan among the mint data.

A full mohur weighs roughly 10.9-11 grams of high-purity gold and is typically about 20-22 mm across, though hand-striking causes variation. Because the dies were larger than some flans, part of the legend may run off the edge, so the mint name and date are not always fully visible on a given specimen.

Value depends heavily on mint, regnal year, calligraphic quality, weight, and state of preservation. Common mints in ordinary grade trade as bullion-plus-premium gold, while scarce mints, unusual dates, or exceptionally well-struck and centered pieces command significant collector premiums.

Because the coin is high-purity gold weighing near 11 grams, its melt value sets a firm floor that moves with the gold price. Well-documented, clearly attributed examples with a legible mint such as Multan generally sell above melt to collectors. For any specific piece, compare recent auction results for the same mint and reign rather than relying on a single figure.