Consider the following statements about coinage during Akbar’s reign :
A. Coins were minted in three metals, namely gold, silver and copper.
B. There was a free and open minting system and mints were widely distributed.
Which of the above statements is/are correct ?

The correct answer is (C) Both A and B

Explanation:
• Akbar established a robust tri-metallic currency system consisting of gold (muhr), silver (rupiya), and copper (dam).
• The silver rupiya was the standard coin for all transactions and the copper dam was used for local trade and revenue purposes.
• Akbar allowed a free minting system where anyone could bring bullion to the royal mints and get it converted into coins after paying a seigniorage charge.
• There were about 42 mints for silver coins and many more for copper distributed across the empire to facilitate trade.

Information Booster:
• The Mohur was the highest denomination gold coin.
• The silver Rupiya of Akbar was based on the earlier reforms of Sher Shah Suri.
• Abul Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari provides detailed accounts of the minting process.

Additional Knowledge:
• Option (A) is partially correct but incomplete as it ignores the minting system.
• Option (B) is partially correct but incomplete as it ignores the metal types.

So the correct answer is (c)