Dam (Indian coin)

A dam was a small Indian copper coin. The coin was first introduced by Sher Shah Suri during his rule of India between 1540 and 1545, along with Mohur, the gold coin and Rupiya the silver coin.^[1] Later on, the Mughal Emperors standardised the coin along with other silver (Rupiya) and gold (Mohur) coins in order to consolidate the monetary system across India. A rupee was divided into 40 dams.

Copper dam of emperor Akbar, Zafar Qarin mint, AH 1100 (1591-92).

Sher Shah Suri issued Dam, a copper coin with lower value as compared to silver (Rupiya) and gold (Mohur) coins

It is believed that this coin is one of the possible sources for the English word "damn", due to its small worth.^[2]

See also

• Money portal

• Mohur
• History of the rupee

References

1. Mughal Coinage Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine at RBI Monetary Museum. Retrieved on 4 May 2008.
2. Gorrell, Robert, Watch Your Language: Mother Tongue and Her Wayward Children, University of Nevada Press, 1994. Watch Your Language at Google Books