How to Identify the Gold Square Mohur of Jahangir

Start with the two features that set this type apart: the square gold planchet and the Persian legends filling its four-sided field. If the coin is round, it is a different mohur variety; the murabba (square) format is the first diagnostic. Confirm the metal reads as high-karat gold, warm deep yellow, dense in the hand, and completely non-magnetic.

Read the obverse for the emperor's name and titles: Nur al-Din Muhammad Jahangir in Mughal Persian script, usually with royal epithets. The lettering on a genuine hand-struck coin is crisp and well-modeled, with clean transitions between the raised legend and the flat field. Weak, mushy, or uniformly grainy lettering is a warning sign of a cast copy.

Turn to the reverse for the mint-and-date block. On this issue you are looking for the Lahore mint named in Persian, the Hijri year AH 1015, and the regnal year 2 (RY 2). Verifying that the mint name and both date figures are consistent with a known Jahangir Lahore issue is central to attribution, since mint-plus-year combinations are how these coins are catalogued.

Weigh and measure the coin. A mohur should sit near a standard tola in weight; a piece that is markedly light, clipped, or trimmed on one or more sides has lost metal and value. Note any signs of mounting, a soldered loop, filed edges, or a solder shadow, which indicate former jewelry use and affect both authenticity assessment and price.

Be cautious of look-alikes and fabrications. Modern fantasy square mohurs, tourist replicas, and cast forgeries circulate widely; casting seams, bubbles, off-color gold, and lettering that does not match published die styles are red flags. Because so much rides on the exact inscriptions, have any candidate coin confirmed by a specialist in Mughal or Islamic coinage or a reputable grading service before buying or selling.