View source for Currencies/Indian dam

==Introduction==

The Indian Dam (also written Dām) was a copper coin first issued under Sher Shah Suri between 1540 and 1545 CE. It served as the small-denomination base unit in his newly standardized currency system, which also introduced the silver Rupiya and the gold Mohur.


==History==

Sher Shah Suri introduced the Dam as part of his comprehensive reform to unify India’s scattered regional coinages. His system—1 Rupiya = 40 Dams—became the foundation for Mughal monetary policy and lasted well into the British period.
The coin was later struck under Mughal emperors such as Akbar, Jahangir, and Aurangzeb, often bearing Persian legends and mint marks. The Dam remained a principal copper denomination across northern India until the late 18th century, when it was replaced by newer colonial issues.
[https://colnect.com/en/coins/coin/51387-1_Dam_dam-India-Independent_Kingdoms_Mughal_Dynasty-India_Feudal_States<picture>2201419</picture>]

==Coins==

Dams were typically copper coins of varying weight and style depending on ruler and mint.
Common features included

Metal Copper

Weight Roughly 20 grams

Diameter Around 19 mm

Obverse Persian or Arabic inscriptions naming the ruler and mint

Reverse Date in Hijri calendar or religious inscriptions such as Kalima

Later Mughal Dams showed more refined calligraphy and improved striking techniques as minting technology advanced.


==Currency==

Under Sher Shah’s system and later the Mughals

1 Rupiya = 40 Dams

1 Dam = 2 Jitals (in some regional accounts)

This system remained the monetary standard of the empire, linking copper, silver, and gold values in a consistent tri-metallic structure.


==Legacy==

The Dam holds historical importance as India’s first unified copper coinage. It facilitated daily trade, paid soldiers, and linked village economies to imperial mints.
Its value was so low that it entered popular speech, giving rise to the English expression “I don’t give a dam(n)”, referencing its minimal worth.


==See Also==

* [[Currencies/Indian rupee]]

* [[Currencies/Indian mohur]]

* [https://colnect.com/en/coins/currencies All currencies]