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Dam (Nepalese coin)

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Uni-face Silver Dam Girvana Yuddha

Dam was a small coin, either silver, gold or copper first minted during between c. 1098–1126 CE., replacing old Licchavi coinage.

History

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First introduced by King Sivadeva during his between c. 1098 and 1126 CE., replacing old Lichhavi coinage. In the new system Gold Sivaka, Silver Dam and later Nava-Dam-Sivaka and copper Dam were introduced as a new denomination.[1]

Types

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Nepali dam were originally made of 1 g pure silver or copper. The copper variety were discontinued in the Malla dynasty and all decreased in size to 0.04 g.[2] They were reintroduced during the Shah period, but only used in the Hill Region and Terai. Silver dams were preferred by the locals of Kathmandu Valley.

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Watch Your Language lists the coin as one of the possible sources for the English phrase "I don't give a dam[n]″, due to its small worth.[3]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Nicholas G. Rhodes; Karl Gabrisch; Carlo Valdettaro Pontecorvo della Rocchetta (1989). The coinage of Nepal from the earliest times until 1911. Royal Numismatic Society. ISBN 978-0-901405-27-2.
  2. ^ Joshi, Satya Mohan (1961). Nepali Rashtriya Mudra (National Coinage of Nepal). OCLC 652243631. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  3. ^ Gorrell, Robert, Watch Your Language: Mother Tongue and Her Wayward Children, University of Nevada Press, 1994. Watch Your Language at Google Books