About the Book
The Coinage and Metrology of the Sultans of Delhi by H. Nelson Wright is a scholarly work examining the coinage system and measurement standards used by the Delhi Sultanate. Published in 1921, the book meticulously analyzes the historical, economic, and administrative aspects of coinage, providing valuable insights into the monetary practices and metrological systems of the period. Wright's research sheds light on the evolution of currency and its role in the administration and economy of medieval India.
About the Author
H. Nelson Wright (1869-1941) was a notable British numismatist and historian specializing in South Asian coinage. His extensive research focused on the monetary systems of historical Indian dynasties, particularly the Delhi Sultanate. Wright's most influential work, The Coinage and Metrology of the Sultans of Delhi, is highly regarded for its detailed analysis and contribution to the understanding of medieval Indian numismatics and metrology. His scholarship remains an important reference in the field of historical numismatics.
Preface
THE nucleus of this Catalogue is a collection formed by the author in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh between the years 1894 and 1924. It seemed fitting that the coins should find a permanent home in Delhi, of whose Sultans they are a numismatic record. An offer was accordingly made and accepted. The gold and silver coins (53 A-223 At) were acquired by the Director-General of Archaeology in India for the Delhi Museum. The billon and copper coins (over 1,200) were presented on the understanding that the collection should be preserved intact, and a printed catalogue of it published on the lines of the coin catalogues issued by the principal museums in India. This I undertook to prepare.
It subsequently seemed desirable to take the opportunity to extend the scope of the Catalogue and make it a corpus' of the coins of the Sultans of Delhi. Sixty-five years have elapsed since the publication in 1871 of The Chronicles of the Pathan kings of Delhi by that distinguished scholar and pioneer of Indian numismatics Edward Thomas of the Bengal Civil Service. Though Thomas had, in 1847, written a small volume On the Coins of the Patan Sultans of Hindustan, followed by a supplementary contribution in 1852, the publication of The Chronicles has always been regarded as the starting-point for the study of the coins of the Sultans of Delhi. It describes some 320 coins of those Sultans.
Acknowledgement
No one can embark on a study of the coins of the Sultans of Dehli without being conscious of the great debt that he owes to Edward Thomas, the distinguished author of The Chronicles of the Puthan Kings of Dehli. The fact that subsequent discovery of coins, unknown to and unsuspected by him, makes it impossible to accept many of his conclusions on the metrology of the series, cannot detract from the credit of his achievement. To Edward Thomas, then, I desire to record my respectful acknowledgement.
With him I would associate Chas. J. Rodgers of Amritsar, author of various catalogues and miscellaneous publications supplementary to Thomas's Chronicles.
