The gold of Fīroz Shāh is fairly common, and six types are known.
Following his predecessor’s example, he inscribed the name of the
Khalif Abū-l-’abbās and those of his two successors, Abū-l-fatḥ and
’Abdullah, on the obverse, and his own name on the reverse, accompanied
by such titles as “_The right hand of the commander of the faithful_”
(_i.e._ the Khalif) and “_The deputy of the commander_.” The latter
appears on either the copper or billon coins of nearly every subsequent
ruler until Bahlol Lodī’s reign. In A.H. 760 (1359) Fīroz associated
the name of his son, Fatḥ Ḵẖ̱ān, with his own on the coinage.
Gold coins of subsequent kings are exceedingly scarce (Pl. VIII, 11);
the shortage of silver is even more apparent. Only three silver pieces
of Fīroz have ever come to light, and a few are known of Muḥammad bin
Fīroz, Maḥmūd Shāh, Muḥammad bin Farīd, Mubārak Shāh II, and ’Ālam
Shāh. In the reign of Muḥammad bin Fīroz, the general title, “_The
Supreme head of Islām, the commander of the faithful_,” was substituted
for the actual name of the Khalif in the inscription. Fīroz Shāh,
following the example of Muḥammad bin Tug̱ẖlaq, issued in large
quantities a billon coin of about 144 grains weight (Pl. VIII, 10).
This was continued by his successors, but the proportion of silver was
apparently gradually reduced. The coinage of the later rulers, though
abounding in varieties, is almost confined to copper and billon pieces
(Pl. VIII, 12). During the whole period, with but two exceptions, one
mint name appears, Dehlī, accompanied by one or other of its honorific
titles, _Ḥaẓrat_ or _Dāru-l-Mulk_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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