, 196 HINTS TO COIN-COLLECTORS IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 
*' jaltis" date with the year of the Christian era (except 
in the mohur) apparently punched upon it. On the obverse 
the upper dot of the of 5^ takes the form of a crown, 
while above the » are three dots sui'mounted by a star or 
flower. The same mint is also credited with a minute and 
rare coin in gold of the value of one rupee, on which a large 
seven-pointed star appears in the of the {j->^. On the 
introduction of the rupee system into the more southerly 
Presidency, Arcot, which had, as we have already seen^ 
been the mint town of the Nawabs of the Kamatik, also 
appeared upon the Company's coins. A complete series of 
mohur, double rupee, rupee, \, \, and -jq rupee was struck 
there and bore as date the 20th year of the reign of Aziz-ud- 
dhin Alemgir. 
By Act VII of 1836 the "sikka" and other coins -with 
Persian legends passed away, and the present stamp of rupee, 
weighing 180 grains^ of which 165 grains are pure silver, came 
into universal vogue thi'oughout the country. From this 
point I need hardly say a more sordid, if not less absorbing, 
interest centres around coin-collecting, but one regarding 
which I fear I can ofier no practical " hints," though were 
I able to do so, my circle of readers would doubtless be 
considerably increased. 
