1883.] Zodiacal Gold Moliurs. 5 



a Falcon and on the Bei). the inscription " Alia Acbar — isfandarmuz Ilahi 

 45 Zarab Asir." It was struck by Akbar to commemorate his capture of 

 Asirghur, in which fort he found immense treasure. The coin is very 

 rare : one is in the Payne Knight collection in the British Museum, another, 

 of which all trace has been lost, was seen by General Cunningham many 

 years ago at Benares, and is engraved from a wax impression he took, in 

 PI. 19, Vol. IX, of the Archseological Reports, from which the accom- 

 panying woodcut is copied. I procured this by exchange in Bombay, 

 and it is apparently the second now known : the one General Cunningham 

 had seen was on a necklace, and as this shows signs of having been used as 

 a pendant, it may be the same coin. 



I next draw attention to the 12 Zodiacal gold mohurs, all genuine. 

 I have been for the last 30 years collecting them, and such a set is 

 extremely rare. I also show plaster casts of the best specimens in 

 the British Museum collection, for comparison. Among mine the Cancer 

 and the Aquarius are unique : the former has the crab small, but 

 very perfect, with a complete halo round it, similar, so far, to Mrs. 

 "Welland's, mentioned by Marsden at page 626. The inscription runs from 

 the bottom : 



r ♦ J- -i-^^i 



It is apparently coined at Ajmir. The Museum specimen has the crab 

 large extending over the halo. Mine, as will be seen, has on the Rev. the name 

 of Noor Jehan Begum coupled with that of Jehanghir, and the date is rare, 

 Hijra 1034 J. 20, the latest date known. The only other gold zodiac with 

 this Queen's name on it is one in the French National collection, Sagittarius, 

 It is alluded to by Marsden on page 630, and is pictured in Bonneville's work. 

 I have seen the coin but it is of poor work, the writing very stiff and the 



