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{{short description|Indian gold coin}}
{{Redirect|Gold mohur|the hotel in Aden|Gold Mohur Hotel}}
{{about||the city in Iran also spelled Mohur|Mohr, Fars|the village in India|Mohur (village)}}
{{multiple image|caption_align=center|header_align=center| align = right| direction = vertical| width = 250| header = One and Two Mohur coins<br>of British India| image1 = India 1862 One Mohur.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = 1862 One Mohur| image2 = India 1835 2 Mohurs.jpg | alt2 = | caption2  = 1835 Two Mohurs (Double Mohur){{#tag:ref |The 1835 double mohur, also called [[ashrafi]], on average contains 23.32 grams of gold (0.9170 fine) and weighs 0.6875 of an ounce.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1440228019|page=752|title= Standard Catalog of World Coins  1801–1900 |edition=6 |publisher=Krause|isbn=978-0-89689-940-7|editor-last=Cuhaj|editor-first=George S.|year=2009b}}</ref> Only 1,170 were minted.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tXSrLbIEDBMC|title= Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins  1601–Present|edition=6|p=818|publisher=Krause|isbn=978-1-4402-0424-1|editor-last=Cuhaj|editor-first=George S.|year=2009a}}</ref>| group="nb"}} }}

The '''Mohur''' is a [[gold coin]] that was formerly minted by several governments, including [[British India]] and some of the [[princely state]]s which existed alongside it, the [[Mughal Empire]], [[Maratha Empire]], [[Kingdom of Nepal]], and [[Persia]] (chiefly [[Afghanistan]]). It was usually equivalent in value to fifteen silver [[rupee]]s. It was last minted in British India in 1918, but some princely states continued to issue the coins until their [[Instrument of Accession|accession]] to India after 1947. Similar coins were also issued by the British authorities in denominations of {{2/3}} mohur (10 rupees), {{1/3}} mohur (5 rupees) and the double mohur (30 rupees), and some of the princely states issued half-mohur coins (equal to 7 rupees and 8 anna).

The ''mohur'' coin was first introduced by [[Sher Shah Suri]] of [[Sur Empire]] during his rule in India between 1540 and 1545 and was then a gold coin weighing 169&nbsp;[[Grain (mass)|grain]]s (10.95 grams). He also introduced [[copper]] coins called ''[[Dam (Indian coin)|dam]]'' and [[silver coin]]s called ''[[rupiya]]'' that weighed 178&nbsp;grains (11.53 grams).<ref>[http://www.rbi.org.in/currency/museum/c-mogul.html Mughal Coinage] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516085855/http://www.rbi.org.in/currency/museum/c-mogul.html |date=2008-05-16 }} at [[RBI Monetary Museum]]. Retrieved on May 4, 2008.</ref> Later on, the [[Mughal emperors]] standardized this coinage of tri-metallism across the sub-continent in order to consolidate the monetary system.

== Etymology ==
[[File:Jalal al-Din Muhammad Akbar. AH 963-1014 AD 1556-1605. AV Mohur Falcon type. Asir mint. Dated Khurdad Ilahi year 45 (20 February – 20 March AD 1600).jpg|thumb|250px|Mohur of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] Emperor [[Akbar]], minted in [[Asirgarh Fort|Asir]]. This coin with the design of a falcon was issued in the name of Akbar to commemorate the capture of the strategic [[Asirgarh Fort]] of the [[Khandesh Sultanate]] on 17 January 1601 CE. Legend: ''"Allah is great, Khordad Ilahi 45, struck at Asir"''.<ref>*{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Vincent Arthur |author-link=Vincent Arthur Smith |year=1917 |title=Akbar the Great Mogul, 1542–1605 |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924024056503 |publisher=Oxford at The Clarendon Press |page=274}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gibbs |first1=J. |title= Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal |date=1865 |publisher=Calcutta |pages=4–5 |url= https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofasi1883asia/page/4/mode/2up}}</ref>]]

The word ''mohur'' or ''[[mohor]]'' (from the Persian word ''muhr'', which means "seal" or "signet ring"<ref>{{oed | mohur}}</ref>) is [[cognate]] with the [[Sanskrit]] word ''mudrā'', which in turn comes from ''mudraṇam'', which also means "seal".<ref>
{{Cite web|url= https://sanskritdictionary.com/mudra%E1%B9%87am/25612/4|title= Sanskritdictionary.com: Definition of mudraṇam|website= sanskritdictionary.com}}</ref>

== Collector value ==
Gold mohurs issued by the Mughal Empire, [[Maratha Empire|Imperial India]], the British [[East India Company]] or the [[British Raj|British India]] are valuable collector items and sell in auctions for high prices. The double mohur (minted between 1835 and 1918) with a value of 30 rupees is the highest denomination circulating coin issued till date. An 1835 double mohur was sold at a [[Bangalore]] auction for ₹11.5&nbsp;[[lakh]]s making it the highest ever coin bid in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/collector-mints-a-fortune-from-coin-auction/article2910682.ece|title=Collector mints a fortune from coin auction|first=Sharath S.|last=Srivatsa|date=February 20, 2012|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Money}}
* [[Double eagle]]
* [[History of the rupee]]
* [[Dam (Indian coin)]]
* [[Dam (Nepali coin)]]
* [[Nepalese mohur]]
* [[Krugerrand|Krugerrand (South Africa)]]

== References ==

===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|group="nb"}}

===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

{{Historic Indian currency and coinage}}

[[Category:Coins of India]]
[[Category:Sur Empire]]
[[Category:Historical currencies of India]]
[[Category:Gold in India]]